Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah
by Wepdiggy
Summary: AU- We took four US Intelligence Officers who have a much entangled romantic history and put them together under one roof. What happens when spies stop playing nice, and start getting real? Charah, Bryce/Jill, Casey/Anna friendship. First full length!
1. Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol

_Summary: Bryce and Jill reminisce over drinks about their time as spies, the people they've met, and the relationships they've had to leave behind. Time-line is somewhere in the very near future. Pairings are all implied, but include Chuck/Sarah, Sarah/Bryce, Chuck/Jill, and Bryce/Jill.  
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_A/N: First of all, this is an idea that sprung up during my I-Pod shuffle drabble piece. I think the show is about to make this scenario very AU, so I thought I'd go ahead and write it and post it before that came to fruition. There are no real spoilers here, but the characters' knowledge of what is going on with the main cast goes up through the end of the Jill Arc in episode 2.08 "Chuck versus The Gravitron." Also thank you so much to_** timewalker05** _for the fabulous editing, without which this story was not nearly as clean. And finally, I originally had intended to make this a one-shot, but after some consideration, I am not thinking I may make this a four or 5 chapter piece at least. Give me some feedback and let me know what you think._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck or the characters. I'd be too afraid of thieves if I owned something so valuable. _

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**An undisclosed hotel room, 8:45 PM:**

She walked out of the bathroom wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of his boxers. She had her wet hair wrapped in a towel.

"Have you swept for bugs?" she asked as she approached.

"We're all clean," he paused, "the usual?"

"Of course," she replied as he prepared her a vodka tonic. "Let me guess what you're having. Jack and water..."

He cut her off. "Half Jack, half water...." She rejoined him as they said in unison, "lots of ice." This elicited a laugh from the estranged friends, turned partners, turned lovers within the first month of their assignment together. It was rare to know anything real about anyone in the business they worked in, but they had a history together. And over the past few months they had really come to rely on one another in many ways.

They had been very successful in their mission of tracking down Fulcrum, and he knew it was in no small way aided by her intimate knowledge of the cabal. He also knew his continued sanity was in no small way aided just by having someone by his side again. Over two years on your own left a man to think entirely too much. That, he had found, was anything but healthy for the mind. He had forgotten how good it felt to have someone to take his mind off the troubles of the lives they led when there was a moment for relaxing (_well as much as a spy can ever relax,_ he thought grimly). But seeing as they were holed up in this second rate hotel waiting on a major Fulcrum summit that wouldn't occur for another nine days, such a moment had presented itself.

"Jill, I just wanted to tell you that it's been a pleasure having you with me the past four months. It's been a long time sine I had someone with me, and the way things ended with my last partner..." he searched for the right words, "...she...she was special. And I know that I wouldn't have accepted just anyone after having worked with her. But you have certainly helped me get over Sarah Walker."

Jill nearly choked on her drink (_which would be a pathetic way for a spy to go,_ she thought) as her eyes bugged out of her head, "Did you say Sarah Walker? Tall, blond, blue eyed Sarah Walker? Sarah Walker that is currently romantically entangled with Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker?" Jill questioned.

"How did you? Wait. Jill, how did you get captured? Who found you out as a part of Fulcrum?" Bryce asked, although he already knew the answer from Jill's previous statement.

This was certainly one of those times that not talking about specifics of the past seven years had really come back to bite them. Both of them now realizing slowly that they had been more connected in the "spy world" than they had previously thought.

"Chuck arrested me. He did it to protect that..." Jill knew she had better tread lightly since that woman clearly meant a lot to Bryce. "To protect Sarah. Wait, does he know that you two were..."

"Yes," Bryce answered. Not wanting to be to seem hostile though, and knowing that this would be a great opportunity to finally vent about what had happened, he continued. "The last time I saw them, I tried to get Chuck to break it off with her. I justified it to him, and to myself, by saying that she needed to be completely focused on the job at hand and her feelings for him could get her hurt or killed. I had hoped that if he broke it off with her, she would leave that assignment and rejoin me," Bryce said wistfully. He finally added, "maybe Chuck saw through my bullshit."

"Or maybe Chuck did what you convinced him was the right thing, but she loved him too much to give up," Jill added with a wistful lilt of her own.

"Jill," Bryce started "love is not really meant for people like us. While I enjoyed having Sarah as a partner, and I enjoy having you here now... and while I think of you both as friends…" He paused, again searching for the right words. "I don't think I could ever love."

"I know," Jill said matter-of-factly. Noticing the confused look on Bryce's face, she chose to continue, "You're right, love is not meant for people like us. At least not between people like us. But I have known love Bryce. I loved Chuck. And in many ways, I still _do _love Chuck, and I always will. He's not like us Bryce. Our heart drives us to fight for our lives and for the greater good. Chuck's heart drives him to fight too. But his heart drives him to fight for what he believes is right and for the people he cares about. Don't think for a second that someone like me, or someone like Sarah Walker, wouldn't be drawn to something like that. Something that is foreign to us, but oh so moving. If the world were filled with Chuck Bartowskis, we would be out of a job."

Bryce thought on what Jill said before he replied. Looking up, he knew he had no counter. "You're right," he began softly. "Chuck is a special person. He's my one true friend in the world. I can see what you two see in him." A pause. "I see it too. It's not romantic or anything, but I suppose that I love him too. He is the one person I know that I would gladly lay my life down for, and I'd do it because I know that he would do it for me."

Silence overtook the room. Neither party sure exactly where to go next. Finally Bryce broke the uncomfortable pause in conversation. "So, how exactly did you come into contact with their team?"

"Chuck and I began seeing one another again. I helped their team come upon key Fulcrum evidence to gain their trust, and I eventually took control of their base. Chuck outsmarted me though, and like I said before ended up arresting me," Jill said without taking a pause, suddenly looking very interested in her now empty glass. She stood and walked across the room to mix herself another drink. "Another Jack and water?" she asked Bryce.

"Not just yet," Bryce said still sorting through what Jill had just said. "You and Chuck were together again? What about Sarah?" Bryce said with a furrowed brow.

"I don't know when you were last there, but I have the feeling that it was not long before I arrived," Jill began, and then sighed. She continued, "I knew there was something between them, but neither of them seemed willing to do anything about it. It was sad really. Don't get me wrong, I was glad for the opportunity, even if it was a play, to get some more time with Chuck. But I think I knew all along where his heart really was." Jill paused. "And I could see it in her, too. The longing looks she would give him, the way her voice became softer when she spoke of him... probably most of all the threats she threw at me about what would happen if I hurt him again," Jill said showing the slightest smile.

"One thing I do know, Roberts. If Agent Sarah Walker was leveling violent dialogue your way, it was certainly not a threat. It was more along the lines of a guarantee. In fact I'm surprised you're still walking after she found out it was a play," Bryce said in a teasing manner.

"Like I said," Jill said, with not a hint of humor in her voice. "_Chuck _made my arrest...not Sarah."

Again, nothing was said between the two agents. Bryce began to look around the room. Seeing that it was 9:58 PM, a thought dawned on him. "Well, enough of these past trials and tribulations. It's Wednesday. It's almost 10 o'clock. And the new season of _South Park _starts tonight," Bryce said with an odd exuberance in his voice.

"I can't believe you still watch that," Jill said rolling her eyes.

"Says the doctor of bio-chemistry that knows the name of the weird old man on _Family Guy_," Bryce retorted.

And with that, their night of sad remembrances was over. The life of a spy could be quite sad. It's why the espionage business required a short memory when it came to matters of the heart. Luckily for Bryce and Jill, they had each other right now, for when the past became too much of a burden to tuck away. For that they were both grateful.

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_**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this, but whether or not you did, I would absolutely love to hear from you. See that little button right under this note that says review? Why not click it and tell me what you thought? I'd be ever so grateful. And again, I am now considering expanding on this piece. Drop me a line to let me know if you think that's a good idea, or if you think I should let this stand on it's own. **_


	2. Polly

_Summary: __Bryce and Jill reminisce over drinks about their time as spies, the people they've met, and the relationships they've had to leave behind. Time-line is somewhere in the very near future. Pre Bryce/Jill and implied Chuck/Sarah._

_A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews for chapter 1! It made me really excited to write a chapter 2. I really hope you all will enjoy the continuation of this story. I think I have a firm grasp on where I want this to go, and it should get fun. And for all you shippers out there, don't worry, there will eventually be real live Charah, I promise. Finally, a ginormous thank you to **timewalker05 **for some terrific ideas to punch this chapter up and even more so for making it readable for all of you. This fact that I didn't get a note back with the edits that said "So, you've seen the English language before, right?" is absolutely astounding to me, and I am eternally grateful._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. He belongs to NBC, Warner Bros., College Hills, and Sarah (yes, Sarah owns Chuck and she will claim her prize one day...I do believe). I also don't own any of the other characters in the fic, they belong to all the previous parties (although Sarah doesn't own the rest of them)._

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**Hidden Fulcrum Instillation, Interrogation Room**

Jill startled awake, quickly taking in her surroundings. _I'm in a dark room. Arms are bound. Legs…yep they're bound too. The walls appear non-descript; no one else is here, so Bryce must have escaped. Okay, where am I and how did I get here?_

As the adrenaline from waking up bound in a strange place began to wear off, the aches in her muscles and joints became evident. Then like a tidal wave, the memories of the past…_well she wasn't exactly sure how long she'd been here._ She had lost concept of time, but the memory of how she had gotten here and what had happened to her here all too evident now.

_I wish I could have forgotten for good _she thought wryly.

Torture was one of the worst parts of the job even when just observing the act. Taking said torture was as bad as it got. _I didn't talk though, _she thought, allowing a brief moment of pride to sink into her otherwise somber demeanor.

As she thought back to how she had gotten herself into this mess, though, the pride disappeared and was replaced by an array of other emotions ranging from fury at herself, to self pity for what she had to endure, to longing for someone - _anyone really - _to come in guns blazing to be her hero. It had all started like any other mission…

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**40 Hours Earlier, Outside a Hidden Fulcrum Base**

"I hate recon work," Bryce stated for what must have been the fiftieth time since they'd been sitting there. "Don't get me wrong, it has it's place; but after we find what we're going to find, it just seems anti-climactic to just drive away and let someone else do all of the heavy lifting of actually infiltrating and destroying an operation like this," he added exasperatingly.

"And if there's one thing I have learned about you Bryce Larkin, anti-climactic just isn't your style," Jill teased in a sultry voice. "With you, there's always a…Very. Satisfying. Climax."

Bryce looked over at his partner of six months sitting across the van from him and flashed her the most devious smile he had in his repertoire. "Why, Agent Roberts, I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about."

Jill reached out to trace a seductive touch up Bryce's arm and over his shoulder, giving it a small squeeze, before continuing her hand's journey up his neck, around his very sculptured jaw line, and finally settling on his lips.

Eyes closed, Bryce wondered what the hell this woman was doing to him to make him react like this. He was a trained agent for God's sake. He should be immune to her wiles. But he knew he was starting to develop very non-agent like feelings for his long time friend and current partner. He also knew that, right now, he wanted to do very non-agent like things to her. But they still had a mission to wrap up, no matter how boring and pointless it seemed.

"Alright, let's hurry up and finish this. You've started something that requires finishing. And while I would love to finish it right here, right now…" he trailed off as something on the monitor in front of him caught his eye. "Wait a second. He's not supposed to be here today!" Bryce exclaimed excitedly.

"Who?" Jill asked, puzzled by the sudden change of topics. Turning to the monitor to which Bryce seemed to be glued; she saw exactly what he saw. Ken Adams was a key member of Fulcrum's lead council. Although the elusive "Elders" made all of the decisions in the organization, their intelligence and potential courses of action were all filtered through, and usually devised by, the lead council. The lead council in Fulcrum was essentially the cabinet of the cabal; and no one held more sway, and had more intimate knowledge of the direction of Fulcrum, than Ken Adams.

This cell was supposed to be small potatoes as far as Fulcrum went. It was believed to be little more than a glorified weapons locker. The workers here were way down the food chain as far as Fulcrum operatives went. At least that was what all the intelligence they had led them to believe. But if Adams was here right now…

"Alright, the nature of this mission just changed," Bryce said preparing himself for combat. "We let Adams slip through our fingers at that summit six weeks ago, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let it happen again."

Although this was only supposed to be a recon mission, Jill knew he was right. If they had a chance to bring Adams down, then they had to take it. She knew he would crack under interrogation and provide them with mountains of intel that could potentially strike a catastrophic blow to her former organization. "You're absolutely right. We have to take a chance if there's a possibility that we could get our hands on him," she stated flatly. But something about him being here today bothered her. "We have to be careful though. If he's here, then there is going to be a lot more security than we have been able to identify. He wouldn't walk into any operation that wasn't extremely secure. It would be too big of a risk."

Bryce nodded at Jill, who was checking the magazine and sights on her primary sidearm for the third time before dropping the Beretta 92G Elite 1A (a gift from Bryce upon completion of their most successful mission) to her side.

Bryce exited the van first, followed closely by Jill. They entered the hidden Installation on the vacant ground floor, slowly making their way up the embankment beside the stairs to remain hidden by the solid banister of the stairs on one side, and the wall on the other, towards the second floor where they knew Ken Adams and the majority of the Fulcrum agents present to be.

As they reached the top of the stairs, they were greeted by an empty space. Looking around quizzically, Bryce started to take his first step onto the second level. Before his foot could make contact with the ground, however, he was greeted by the sound of many, many weapons being readied. At least sixty men, all armed to the teeth, gave up their covers, revealing an army of what was certainly not the low level lackeys they had believed worked here.

Knowing that there was no chance of surviving a fire fight with such a collection of armed men, Bryce and Jill turned to flee back down the stairs… only to be confronted with another band of weapons ready assassins. The pair placed their firearms on the ground and raised their hands in surrender.

"Bryce and Jill went up a hill…" a smug, gravely voice spoke over the ominous silence that had overtaken the building. The two partners turned towards the sound of the voice. "Agent Larkin, Agent Roberts, I really do appreciate your joining us here today. You know intelligence agencies used to have to work much harder than this to set up a trap. The fact that two of America's top agents would fall so easily into such a set up is really quite sad. Kind of reinforces my belief that we are doing the right thing in Fulcrum to ensure that the current establishment is replaced with a much more stable, and much more - and please pardon the pun - intelligent system," Adams finished.

Looking at each other, a nearly imperceptible eye movement from Bryce let Jill know what to do next. Bryce had Jill's body largely obscured from the group in the room in front of them; and with her back to army behind them, she was able to deftly retrieve a flash bang grenade from the front of her belt and quickly toss it into the room in front of them before the men knew what was happening.

Hiding their eyes until they heard the familiar explosion, Bryce and Jill quickly began to make their way across the room. "Out the window," Bryce shouted back to her. "There's a fire escape that leads down to the first floor. When we get outside, we can call for reinforcements."

Picking up a chair that sat near the window, Bryce hurled it through the glass that was over six feet off the floor. Jumping up and grabbing onto the pipes that ran overhead in the old, decrepit looking building, he propelled himself up onto the window sill and reached back to pull Jill up to him. Jill grabbed his hand just as the unmistakable sound of a gunshot rattled off the concrete walls of the Fulcrum base.

Jill's hand fell limp from Bryce's grip and she crumpled to the floor. Bryce looked quickly down at her now still form, and then back up at her assailant who'd trailed them here from the first floor. He aimed again and fired at Bryce. Bryce was just able to duck out of the way and hurry down the fire escape back towards the van. "I'll get you back Jill. Just hold on. I'm coming," he silently vowed to himself as he drove away from the Fulcrum base and headed towards a safe place where he could regroup and formulate a plan to rescue his partner.

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**Present Time, Interrogation Room**

Jill stared at the walls. Not that there was a whole lot else to do when you are left bound in a dark empty room. She knew Bryce would come for her. She hoped that he got there in time, and avoided capture. _No, think positive. It's the only way you'll make it though this, _she scolded herself.

"Ah, Miss Roberts, I see you're awake," the Fulcrum interrogator codenamed Revan said as he stepped into the room.

"And I see you're just as ugly as you were a few hours ago," Jill spit venomously.

"Jill. Can I call you Jill?" he asked. Not waiting for a response, "Jill, you know what we're trying to do here. You know deep down, you still believe in our cause. Now I don't know what kind of…" he paused, "…feelings," he said the word as if it were poison, "you have developed for Larkin. But you know personal feelings must take a back seat to the greater good. The greater good that Fulcrum will introduce to the world."

"There is nothing good about your plans," Jill said through gritted teeth, putting an edge to the word 'your.' "There's no greater good when it comes to Fulcrum. There's not even a lesser good. It's all evil!" she finished, her voice growing angrier with every word.

"Jill, you know what we hope to accomplish. You know it will make for a better future for everyone. And I promise, Bryce Larkin never has to know you betrayed him. You can leave here, say you escaped and didn't talk, and go back to playing house with "Double-O-pretty boy." Just tell me. Where. Is. The. Intersect?" he said strongly, seemingly trying to stare a hole through Jill.

_Maybe if I just tell him, he'll let me go. He's right, Bryce doesn't have to know._ She let that thought ruminate for a minute. _Then you will have doomed the best person you have ever met to at the very best be stationed in a hidden government bunker for the rest of his life. More likely he will be found and captured by Fulcrum, and then tortured. Then eventually he will be relieved of the torture when you or another agent finds him and carries out the termination order that has been levied against him. _No. She couldn't do that to Chuck. She couldn't do that to Bryce. She couldn't do that to herself. She couldn't even do that to that bitch Sarah Walker. She had to hold her tongue for all of them. Bryce would be here to rescue her soon. She just knew he would.

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**A Parking Lot Outside a Diner on the PCH**

"You're sure about that, Chadwick Real Estate?"

"_Absolutely. Do I ever make mistakes? Okay, don't answer that. But you know where my information comes from, and it doesn't make mistakes. It's the large office building with only one business. It's 769 North…."_

"Okay, okay, I just wanted to be sure. I can't afford to screw this up."

"_You're not going to screw it up. You're going to save the day like Super Agent Bryce Larkin always does. Who is this partner of yours you are trying to save anyway? When do we get to meet her?"_

"Chuck…" Bryce stated with a warning tone.

"_Alright, alright, I get it. If you told me, you'd have to try to kill me only to be gunned down first by Sarah and Casey," _Chuck joked. _"I was just thinking we could double date sometime."_

Bryce let a small smile slip through despite himself. "Fine Chuck. Next time we have an assignment together, the Andersons and the Carmichaels will paint the town red."

"_Sounds like a plan buddy. And take care of yourself," _Chuck said_. _Then he added_, "And your new special lady._" He thought to say one more thing_, "Good luck Bryce."_

"Thank you Chuck. Watch out for Sarah. Now get back to work fixing computers!" Bryce said in a joking manner to end the call.

It was amazing how his old friend could always lift his spirits. He had really needed that more than he allowed himself to think about. The past two days had been hell for Bryce. Jill being captured by Fulcrum brought many issues into his mind. First, he hoped she had survived. Then he hoped she hadn't talked yet. Lastly, and probably the biggest issue that had surfaced in his mind though, was the fact that he had completely fallen in love with Jill Roberts. He couldn't lose that. Not now. He put on his shades and put his black BMW M3 into gear as he dialed a secure line that he knew by heart.

"Beckman secure."

"Secure. This is Bill Brasky. I've sent over the coordinates of our target. Send a tactical team and plenty of medical personnel. No one moves until I give the order. When I have her out, they can do what they like."

With that Bryce cut the call and focused back on the road. "Just hang on Jill. I won't let you down."

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**A/N: Again, thank you all for reading, and thank you to timewalker05 for the beta. Now if you guys could just find it in your heart to leave a litle review, I would be ever so happy. Let me know what you think about where this is going, and what you'd like to see happen. I make sure to read every review, and I promise anything you say will be taken into account moving forward. You guys are the best. Peace.**


	3. New Wave Polly

_Summary: Team Bartowski finally shows up in the flesh, and Jill remembers what happened during her time in prison. And as promised some real Charah!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, nor am I making any money from this. I am however on vacation right now, so I'm kind of being paid to be doing this...but not really.  
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_A/N: Alright, not a ton of action in this chapter. Oh and for the record, the time of this piece should be considered between early and min November, 2009. If you add up the dates from the first three chapters, that is about what you get. You shouldn't have had to add that up though. I should have made it more clear as the author. I apologize for that. Now we finally get to see team Bartowski, but there is a difference in the team. It is pretty subtle in in this chapter, but I would love to know if you picked up on it. Also we get to see Jill remember how she got to where she is today. Well, not all of it, but there is certainly some Jill back story. And sorry Matthew Bomer fans, but no Bryce in this chapter. I had to let him cool down a bit. But fear not, Bomermaniacs, your fearless leader will be back in chapter four. Finally, a big, big, big, thank you to **timewalker05 **for the terrific beta work. He made some great suggestions that made this chapter much better in my opinion. Oh, and if you haven't read his work, please do yourself a favor and check it out. While your checking out **timewalker05, **take a peak at **Chuck vs The Burning Man by truthseekr **too. It is a fabulous read, and she has been quite supportive of this work. Alright I think I hear them playing the music on me, so thanks for reading, and enjoy!_

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**Inside Castle, minutes after Beckman's conversation with Bryce**

Chuck descended the stairs into Castle at a frantic pace as Sarah and Casey poured over stacks of documents that rested on the table in the middle of the room.

"Sorry I'm late…again. Kid lost her parents…" He paused before thinking about how to spin the lie he had conjured up. Coming up with nothing he changed course, "Know what? Never mind. Why even bother? I'm late because these briefings never start on time and I get out of paperwork this way. So…I miss anything?" he finally finished, flashing a bemused grin.

Casey grunted and seemed to let an unintelligible string of curses out under his breathe before finally looking up slightly. "Yeah, we got the go ahead to shoot you. Ready for the mission?" Casey asked with an evil scowl followed by an only slightly less evil smirk.

Never one to let Casey get the upper hand, Chuck lit into on his big, scary, angry friend. "Come on, you could never shoot _me_ Sugar Bear. You wouldn't know what to do witho-"

Before Chuck could complete his needling of his favorite NSA agent, Casey had him pinned against the table by his neck growling a non-verbal threat that was no less intimidating than anything that Casey had ever said. _It may actually be scarier. At least when he's specific, my imagination can't do this weird dance of worst case scenario it is currently doing._

Finally Sarah looked up from her paperwork, rolled her eyes, and slammed her fist down on the table. "Alright boys, that will be quite enough," she spat with a hard edge to her voice that she usually reserved for Fulcrum agents and meter maids.

Casey let Chuck go and went immediately back to his paperwork. Sarah, however, glared at Chuck through icy blue eyes that he was certain would kill most small animals.

"What?" he asked through a sheepish smile. When his smile was only met with the same dangerous glare, he bowed his head and stuck his hands shyly into his pockets. "Sorry," he said with a sigh, kicking at the ground softly.

Then Sarah shot him her biggest, brightest smile. "I know," she said without a hint of the anger she had possessed moments ago.

"Way to keep your woman in line, Walker. Never let it be said that there isn't an upside to domestic violence," Casey said looking at Chuck with a very pleased look on his face.

"Casey, I'll have you know that domestic violence is no laughing matter. In fact..."

Before Chuck could complete his protest, the screen in front of the three flickered to life and as the countenance of General Dianne Beckman, Director of National Intelligence came into view, the three became quiet and stood at attention in front of the screen.

"Good morning team. As I'm sure you have been informed by now Agents Walker and Casey, Bryce Larkin's current partner has been captured by Fulcrum. The intel that we obtained from Meadow Branch has identified her likely holding facility, and that intel has been passed along to Agent Larkin," Beckman said without breaking her flow or her gaze once.

Then she sighed, looking down to collect her thoughts before continuing. "Ordinarily, I would deem any rescue attempts to be a lost cause, or at least a cause not worth pursuing. However, working so close with Agent Larkin, we believe that she may have knowledge of the identity and location of the Intersect," Beckman informed them without any emotion in her voice.

"And…she and Larkin have been the only other team to really strike any significant blows against Fulcrum operations. Retrieving her is extremely important. Therefore, you three are to assist Agent Larkin in any manner you possibly can in completing this mission. However, she is not to see or have any contact with any of you. Do what you have to do to get her back, but your anonymity must be your first priority. I don't think this will be much of an issue as Agent Larkin seemed anxious to take care of most of the heavy lifting himself. If he appears to be emotionally unable to lead this operation, however, it will fall to the three of you to guarantee that all goes well. You will rendezvous with Agent Larkin at 1400 hours. Any questions?" the General asked, looking at each in turn.

"No General," three voices said in unison. With that, the connection to the Director of National Intelligence was cut leaving only a blank screen.

"Well, I guess we have about three hours before we head out. Chuck, we should swing by the apartment and grab a few things before we leave," Sarah said while straightening the papers that lay in front of her.

"Oh, I bet I know what you'll be grabbing," Casey muttered more to himself than to anyone else.

Chuck shot him a dirty look, but then looked up at the CIA agent across from him and wiggled his eyebrows. "Should we be going then?"

Sarah couldn't help but smile at her boyfriend. _My __**real**__ boyfriend, _she thought happily. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him behind her, up the stairs of Castle, and out of the Orange Orange towards her car in the parking lot.

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**Fulcrum Base, Interrogation Room**

Jill's head was swimming. Her body screamed with pain. It was only exacerbated by the complete silence that now surrounded her. She wanted to cry out, if only to break the haunting silence: but her voice had long left her.

She had endured three grueling torture sessions, each lasting longer than the previous one. But she still hadn't cracked. The most she had given Revan was a recital of "How Now Dow Jones." She had made it through the first singing of "Step to the Rear" and had begun "Shakespeare Lied" when she finally gave way to unconsciousness. _Damn. I almost got them to listen to all of act one. I don't think he even got to find out that Kate was pregnant. Oh well, his loss._

This horrible solitude took Jill back to her time locked away in a CIA holding facility. It was a memory she would rather forget. _But it was the beginning of my story of redemption. _It was the first time she had really ever thought about that time in a positive light.

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**Secure CIA Prison, Location Undisclosed, Black Friday 2008**

The day after Thanksgiving was known to retailers across America as "Black Friday." For Jill Roberts, that title took on a new meaning today.

Jill woke up in her dark, depressing cell for the first time. She wondered ruefully how many others in this facility had been captured by Chuck and his team. _I'll bet not one other person here was placed here by their first love._

She tried to shake away the negative thoughts. They would only lead to madness, which would lead to her being of no use to the powers that be. If her time in the world of espionage had taught her anything, it was that when an expendable lost usefulness, they tended to get dead. She would have to remain useful for the time being. She'd tell the interrogators enough to keep them satisfied, but certainly not enough to really damage Fulcrum.

She knew she was just biding her time until she was set free. Fulcrum had operatives in all levels of government and they looked out for their own. They would get her out of here; of that she was sure.

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**Three Months Later**

The hours had turned into days; the days had turned to weeks; and the weeks to months. It had been three months to be exact since she had arrived here. She had continued to let the interrogators know what they wanted to know about any Fulcrum information they brought to her. She had thought that she'd have to mislead them in some way or the other, but much to her delight, they had done a fair enough job on their own of becoming misled. She answered every question they gave her, but for now they still were asking the wrong questions if they really wanted to know anything. Part of her started to wonder if they would ever wise up to the real motives of Fulcrum.

Because she had been so forthcoming with any information they requested of her though, they began to trust Jill with much more sensitive data. She enjoyed getting these files as it kept her in tune with the goings on of her organization. They still didn't know what to ask her about these files though, and she certainly wasn't going to volunteer what the intel they had really meant.

Most of the more sensitive intel seemed to be collected by a field agent named Bill Brasky. This was an obvious cover or codename, but it never failed to bring a smile to her face. "Bill Brasky" had been a recurring skit on SNL in the late 90's. Whenever she received a file with that name on it, it took her back to her days at Stanford when Chuck, Bryce, and she would sit around watching pirated episodes of the sketch comedy show that Chuck had pulled from an m-IRC channel. "Celebrity Jeopardy" was always the group's favorite, but the "Bill Brasky" skits certainly had their charm. It always took her back to a simpler time when she saw these files.

She was just finishing up reading through the latest "Brasky Report" as she had affectionately begun calling them. Her concentration was broken, however, when a man in a dark suit entered the room holding a new manila envelope.

"Forget that one," the man said still approaching. "Our LA team just sent us some new information that is of the utmost importance."

Jill knew exactly who the LA team was. They were the reason she was here to begin with. They had given her a packet from "The LA team" as the man had termed it back around Christmas, but she hadn't earned the level of trust yet at that point to view such sensitive material so not much was left after redactions save the names of two suspected Fulcrum agents. Both were listed as confirmed dead, so there was no harm in admitting if she knew them. She quickly identified one of the men as being an Agent. The other she was unaware of any real connection to the organization. But now, she would be getting complete mission reports from them. They could take names out all they wanted. She would know when the report was referring to Chuck. Part of her wanted nothing to do with this intel. _Then again, if Chuck and crew gathered this stuff, then it is certain to be juicy information._ She thought about 'her' Chuck. She thought of the Chuck that was not a CIA asset. _The LA team means "him." _Jill had already hurt Chuck so much. She wondered to herself if she could be just as misleading this time at the risk of hurting the one man to ever really love her, yet again.

Putting that thought aside, she opened the packet with a sigh. _Huh, the Meadow Branch project. I thought that was just a rumor. At best they were saying it was still a long way from being ready to proceed. Well, I guess I have been in here for three months now. A lot can change in that time._

She poured through the material provided her like water through a sieve. It seems that they had been testing this subliminal imaging retention theory for over a year with disastrous results. Sometimes it disturbed her just how much went on inside Fulcrum without her knowledge. _You would think they would seek out the council of the assets they had on such important matters_. _Especially something like this with someone with a biology background like myself. I could have been a lot of help on this project._

The most interesting part of the information they provided her was the summaries of the experiments, however. Almost every one of them had died. It was sadistic from a certain point of view, Jill realized, but she supposed that the ends outweighed the means. It always did when it came to Fulcrum in Jill's opinion.

Then she finally reached the last entry in the experiment summaries and nearly choked on the air she was breathing. The name was redacted, but Jill knew immediately who the subject was.

Height: 6'3

Weight: 191

Summary: Despite passing initial testing, subject was rendered incapacitated just as all of the previous subjects. Just as with most previous experiments, the totality of the information proved to be too much, and the subject was lost.

_Oh my God, Chuck. They hurt Chuck. Chuck might be dead. I hope Walker killed every last one of those bastards. I hate them. I HATE them! And I hate Fulcrum! They hurt my Chuck._

As tears began to spill slowly down her cheek, the interrogator re-entered the room. As he walked towards her, he looked up from his notes at the emotional Jill Roberts and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I'll tell you," she stated softly.

"You'll tell-" the interrogator was cut off.

"I'll tell you everything," Jill said angrily, wiping the tears from her face and eyes.

And with that, Jill began to lay out for the interrogator the goals and purposes of Fulcrum. She outed many government employees, and gave up any information she could remember.

That was the day that Jill Roberts quit being a Fulcrum agent and became the CIA's lead analyst on matters related to Fulcrum. It was only three months later that she would be put out into the field and paired with "Bill Brasky." Or as she had always known him, Bryce Larkin.

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_**A/N: So Jill turned her back on Fulcrum because she thought Chuck might be dead. What happened when she found out he was fine and dandy? How did Jill come to realize that Chuck was the Intersect? When will Team Chuck figure out who Bryce's partner is? What the hell is Bryce up to, and why was he left out of this chapter? All this and more will be answered...well, at some point anyway. **_

_**Thank you so much for reading, and now, if it's not too much trouble, I would really like to hear from you. Just click that little review button down there and tell me what you think. You don't even have to be honest. You don't even have to say anything about the story. You can just say hi! I appreciate every review I get (like every author here, it's really all the reward we get). Thanks again for reading guys. Peace.  
**_


	4. Milk It

_**Summary**: In this latest installment, we see the mission to rescue Jill unfold. Will Bryce get to her in time? Will Chuck and crew find out who Bryce's elusive partner is? Read to find out._

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Chuck or any of the characters or properties herein, including those intellectual properties unrelated to Chuck that may be referenced. How straight forward was that?_

_**A/N:** Alright guys. Again, I can't say enough how much all of the positive feedback AND constructive criticism has meant to me through the first three chapters. I apologize that the story is not moving along as fast as I had anticipated, but it turns out that I needed to do a lot more character development than I had planned. In this chapter, I have packed a lot of things in. Hopefully there isn't TOO much going on. Let me know what you think. A big thank you as always to my hero and beta **timewalker05 **for again helping me to create a story that is actually readable. And finally, there is some strong sexual innuendo in this chapter. Nothing too "blue" and certainly nothing that couldn't be discussed on television, but I still wanted to warn anyone that might be easily offended. The "T" rating is certainly fitting for this chapter. Now without further ado, I present **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 4: Milk It.**_

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**Makeshift Command Center for the Rescue Operation**

"I'm sorry General, but you're sending what?"

"Yes ma'am, I understand, but Agent Roberts' previous relationship with _some_ team members…"

"I understand you gave them orders General, but since when has Chuck followed orders?"

"Well I'm glad to hear that he's doing better, but I don't need better, I need a guarantee."

"No ma'am, I suppose there are no guarantees in this business."

"Understood ma'am."

Bryce slammed the receiver down on the remote secure phone in the mobile command center. _Christ, what the hell was she thinking? Chuck's going to be here. He will mess something up, and see Jill.__ He'll freak out. Sarah will then track him down and see Jill herself, and go all mama bear for Chuck. It will be a giant cluster. We'll all get captured and Fulcrum will have the Intersect. Yep, sounds like a great plan to me General. Maybe while we're at it, we should go ahead and give them the keys to Langley? No? Wait a couple of weeks? Alright sounds great General!_

Bryce pulled at the roots of his hair and grimaced. _Time to focus Bryce. _If he was going to save Jill, he had to have his head in the game. _Emotions show weakness and get you killed._ He repeated this line over and over to himself. He knew it was of no use, though. Bryce had never felt about anyone the way he felt about Jill. Even Sarah hadn't made him care this much. He was going to get to Jill and get her out of there. Then he wasgoing to figure out what the hell was going on with his emotions.

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**Echo Park, CA**

As Casey loaded up the last of the tactical gear into the Suburban, Chuck and Sarah finally emerged from their apartment and came over to offer any assistance that they could.

Scowling, Casey started in, "Seriously, Walker? Every mission?"

Quirking an eyebrow, Sarah decided to play it innocent. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Casey."

Chuck made sure to stay quiet. These verbal sparring matches between the two long-time spies were always fun to watch. He didn't mind admitting to himself either that the determined look Sarah always got on her face in the midst of such battles of wit was extremely sexy. Okay, she was always sexy; but something about Sarah's competitive streak was a real turn on for Chuck. _Quiet down now brain, I'm about to miss the action! _Chuck commanded himself.

"Alright Walker, I'll placate you. Every mission we have gone on for the past six months, you two disappear for about an hour beforehand and return practically glowing, and with that stupid shit-eating grin plastered across Bartowski's idiot face." Casey said pointing to Chuck, who was indeed sporting a noticeable grin.

"So, you want to know what I use to plaster it there?" Sarah asked in a teasing manner.

"Don't start that again Walker!" Casey warned before continuing. "Look, I just wish that for once _your," _he emphasized the word 'your' and pointed between Chuck and Sarah, "mission prep involved intel and planning instead of, well, whatever it is you do in there."

"I would gladly share with you what it is that we do in there if you like. We have video surveillance, if you wish to view it." Sarah noticed the irritated expression creeping up on Casey's face. Deciding it might not be the best idea to have a pissed off Casey in the same vicinity as an emotional Bryce Larkin, she decided to soften her tactics. "Look, Casey, we can't have the Intersect being distracted by sexual frustration now can we?"

"When he first flashed, he hadn't gotten laid in five years. He flashed just fine for over a year before he finally got some again." Pausing, Casey saw a great opportunity to rub salt in an old wound. "Remember that Walker? That was the time he spent with Jill." Casey could almost see steam shooting from Sarah's ears at the mention of Chuck's infamous ex-girlfriend/Fulcrum agent and knew that his little jab had hit the intended target, but pressed on anyway. "Then he didn't get any again until May, when you two nearly melted my ears during my routine surveillance. But during that six month sex sabbatical, he also seemed to flash just fine. Seems to me the Intersect is immune to sexual frustration. It would have to be because, hell, Lester's numbers eclipse Bartowski's scorecard." _Check mate _thought Casey. A wry grin slowly began to spring from his lips.

Sarah was having none of it though. Thinking quickly, she began her counter. "First of all, it was April when we started…with…you know." _Dammit Sarah don't clam up now, you have to defend your man. _"And it truly is a pity it took that long." _A little stronger. Okay, keep going Walker. _"And for the record, the stain on your chair in Castle? Not Sizzling Shrimp," Sarah finished, rubbing her hand suggestively down Chuck's chest and casting a devious smile towards Casey. _Ha! That should take care of that._

Casey's eyes bugged out of his head, but sure enough, he shut up. Only a low growl could be heard from the NSA agent as he turned to toss the final bag of gear into the back of the SUV.

_Score another win for my girlfriend, _Chuck thought with a smile. _My REAL girlfriend, _he amended to himself with great pride.

* * *

**Inside the Fulcrum Base, Interrogation Room**

Jill knew her time was running short. She had bruises and cuts stretching the entire expanse of her body, and they seemed to be seeping into her very being. On top of that, she was running out of clever things to say to Revan during the torture sessions. During her latest "meeting" (and her fifth overall) she had performed, from memory, "Life of Brian" in Portuguese. _"São abençoados os fabricantes do queijo" is still a great line, she thought. _It was not the way you were taught to handle interrogation, but it had always worked for her. And through five sessions in the past, well, however long she had been here, she had yet to really come close to cracking.

Jill knew that Revan wouldn't put up with her shenanigans much longer though. If someone didn't find her soon, she would likely be killed. He would most likely do it in the most painful way possible, too. _Oh well. What was that word? Dukkha! That's it! The First Noble Truth! To live is to suffer. To die is to suffer. Well Jill, you got that covered girl. _She almost would have laughed at her lame attempt at humoring herself had it not been so tragic.

Jill had always heard of one's life "flashing before your eyes." For her though, it had played out like a movie during the quiet times. She was saddened to note that she had far more regrets than happy memories. She regretted ever joining Fulcrum. That went without saying. She certainly regretted her treatment of Chuck. She regretted lots of little things that she never got to do. She regretted the sights around the world that she would never see. But the most shocking regret was the regret she felt for not being able to say good bye to Bryce.

_Bryce? Really? I thought you held an eternal torch for Chuck. _She argued with herself. _I do still love Chuck. But Chuck never felt…what is it that I feel when I'm with Bryce?_

She had gone through this line of questioning with herself many times during her captivity in the Fulcrum Base, but only now – when she felt the end was finally near – did it dawn on her.

The word epiphany is thrown around far too often these days. Deciding on eating Chinese is not an epiphany. Remembering where you left your car keys is not an epiphany. Even recalling something you learned in college to solve a real world problem is not an epiphany. What Dr. Jill Roberts experienced in that moment, however, was most certainly a genuine epiphany.

_Chuck made a girl that had no self esteem feel worthwhile for the first time in her life. He worshiped me and I was happy to let him grovel in my presence. But I'm not that girl anymore. I am a strong, confident woman. Little Jill Roberts needed Chuck Bartowski. But he is not the man for Agent Jill Roberts, PhD. I've outgrown that love. I needed something new in my life. I had finally found what it was when I didn't even know that I needed it. I found someone that made me feel safe. I found someone that I could never take for granted. I found a new kind of love. I'm in love with Bryce Larkin. Oh my god…_

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**Makeshift Command Center for the Rescue Operation**

Bryce Larkin paced back and forth in front of the U-Haul Truck that had been outfitted as a base of operations. Any minute now, his best friend, his ex-girlfriend, and the man who had tried numerous times to end Bryce's life -or as the group was collectively known, Team Chuck- would be showing up.

"Chuck. Stay in the car." _No that was too ordinary_. "Chuck. Stay in the car, please." _Too soft, dammit. _ "Chuck. Keep your ass in the Goddamn car." _That might work._

Bryce was brought out of his rehearsal as a black Chevy Suburban screeched to a halt inches from pinning him between the SUV's bumper and the front end of the U-Haul. Looking up with wide eyes, Bryce saw the unmistakable face of John Casey beaming an evil, predatory smile towards the younger agent as if to say, "You were mine if I wanted." Bryce quickly shook off the surprise (Y_ou're slipping Larkin. You should never be taken by surprise. Certainly not by a two and a half ton SUV)_.

Turning towards the back door, he saw a gorgeous blond spy that happened to be his former lover hop out and turn immediately back to the still open door as if to address someone. No doubt it was _her_ current lover and Bryce's only friend.

"It is just not that big of a deal Chuck. Let it go," Sarah said into the Suburban, obviously exasperated. Bryce had clearly caught the end of what must have been a very intense argument.

Then he saw Charles Irving Bartowski stretch his long, lean frame out of the vehicle and shut the door behind him. Before Bryce could begin his "Stay out of the way" speech, Chuck turned to Bryce and spoke. "Okay, let's ask Bryce," he said, clearly continuing his argument with Sarah. "Bryce. You drive by a bank. On the electronic board on the bank sign they are scrolling information about types of accounts, employee of the month, the logo of the bank, and local events. What do you think?"

Without thinking about the absurdity of the question, Bryce scrunched his forehead together as if to visualize the situation, and then replied. "Well Chuck, I'd be pretty pissed off. Time and temperature. That's all I need. And don't keep either up too long. I need both to be readily available in the time it takes me to drive by."

"Aha!" Chuck exclaimed victoriously. "Looks like _you_ were the one being irrational, Agent Walker." His remark was simply met with a hard edged stare, which he knew meant that if he didn't want to test Casey's sexual frustration theory, it would be best to let it go. Chuck dropped the subject.

Casey stepped around the truck and the three members of Team Chuck stood shoulder to shoulder in front of Bryce. "Well," Bryce began. "Looks like the Scooby Gang is all here."

"So I guess that makes me Xander. Sarah is obviously Buffy. Guess that leaves you to be Willow Casey. I always knew you were a lesbian deep down inside big guy," Chuck quipped before quickly ducking behind Sarah to avoid the growling heap of anger lunging at him.

Bryce didn't really notice the continued banter between the men, though, as his focus shifted to their attire. Sarah had on black BDU's and body armor, Casey had on black BDU's and body armor, and Chuck had on…black BDU's and body armor.

"Umm…Chuck? Why exactly are you dressed for combat?" Bryce asked his friend, eyeing him warily.

Looking up at Bryce, he pulled a prototype Government Issue M1911-A2 pistol from a rear holster and checked the magazine and sights as he replied. "Huh? Oh, because bullets have a tendency to go right through my Nerd Herd uniform."

_He said that like it was a dumb question. It was not a dumb question. He's supposed to stay in the car. How did he get an A2? I couldn't even get an A2, and God how I tried! Wait! Why the hell does he have a gun? I'm going to ask him. _"Why the hell do you have a gun?"

"I="

"And don't say because your Nerd Herd equipment isn't very effective for self defense." Chuck's shoulders slumped slightly, and he began to open his mouth to give an actual answer. For some reason though, the only member of the team Bryce thought he'd get a straight answer from was Casey. _Which is kind of odd given our history, _he thought before turning to the NSA agent to speak. "Why the hell does _he_," Bryce paused after the word 'he' and pointed a finger at Chuck, "have a gun?!" Bryce demanded.

"Well, since he insisted on always getting out of the car, I insisted that he learn how to protect himself," Casey said as if it were not an issue at all.

"And please, don't call Bonita a 'gun.' If you insist on seeing her as an inanimate object, she prefers 'pistol.' We'd thank you to remember in the future." Chuck said this without a hint of sarcasm in his voice, which unnerved Bryce.

"Bonita?" was all Bryce could muster.

"Yes. Bonita. My hot four-fever? My vicious vixen? She's my favorite pigeon, and she's got permanent PMS?" Bryce just looked at Chuck blankly. "It's from a song?" Still there was nothing from Bryce. "Wow. You and Sarah must have had the least musical relationship ever," Chuck stated flatly. _Maybe Bonita is too vague of a reference. A four year old rap song that is only featuring T.I. may not have been the way to go. Perhaps I should have gone with Vera. Oh! Or Jill! She was a mean bitch. That may have been perfect._

"And you're alright with this?" Bryce asked, turning to Sarah.

"No," she stated plainly.

_Thank God the entire world hasn't gone mad. At least Sarah is being rational about this. _

"I am super jealous of that… firearm that Beckman gave him. Is firearm alright sweetie?" Sarah and Chuck exchanged a smile, and Casey appeared to be holding back nausea.

_Why would Beckman give Chuck a gun? I just don't get it. Know what? Forget it, I have to save Jill._

"Alright guys, enough bullshitting. Here's the plan. You…_three_…will enter through here," he began, denoting a point on a sketched out diagram of the complex. "The detention block is on the far side. I've been told that…my partner…is not to see any of you," he looked up for confirmation and got nods from the three members of Team Chuck. "Alright, there is a hidden escape route that will take me along beside the detention block. I will enter through the portal and use a C4 charge to blast through the wall. There shouldn't be many, if any, additional prisoners here, so Ji-"he stopped himself before he said her name. "My partner should be the only one there, and thus easy to find."

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**Inside the Fulcrum Base, Interrogation Room**

Jill was lost in her thoughts once more. It was really the best option when the other option was realizing the pain she should be feeling. Her thoughts brought pain of their own, however. She had fallen in love with Bryce Larkin. She had fallen completely and totally in love with this man that gave her something she'd never had before. And now in the end, she'd never get to explore where that love could have gone.

Too dehydrated to cry, Jill resigned herself to let the exhaustion she'd been feeling for hours on end take over her body once more. Perhaps if she were lucky, this time she wouldn't wake up.

Just as Jill closed her eyes, the deafening silence that had prevailed throughout her stay in the facility was broken. _It sounded almost like gunshots._ She'd thought she'd heard gunshots before though, only to be disappointed to find out that it was just her mind playing tricks on her. _This was probably the same thing. There was no rescue team. There was no gun fire. It was all in her head._

No sooner had she thought this, then the door to the room swung open and Revan- Fulcrum's number one interrogator, and her torturer during her time here- strode into the room, his sidearm gripped tightly in his left hand. _He must be here to finish the job. At least it looks like it will be pretty painless, _a defeated Jill Roberts thought. Then she heard what she knew was gunfire echoing from above. _Someone was here! Bryce was here to save her!_ But then she remembered the man standing in front of her brandishing a gun. _But he won't get the chance to save me, _Jill thought with sad resignation.

"I would have loved to have kept you here longer. You were quite the treat to play with. Unfortunately, your friends have shown up and ruined our party. Don't worry about them. You'll be seeing them all very soon. Wait. You believe in an afterlife right? No? Well maybe you won't see them after all." After what he thought was a tremendously funny parting monologue for the former Fulcrum agent, he had but one thing left to add: "Goodbye, Agent Roberts."

Suddenly, a tremendous explosion came from behind Revan, knocking him to the ground. Smoke and dust filled the air of the detention facility. A lone figure could just barely be seen as it stepped through the new "door" that had been created.

"Ah. The elusive Revan. It's truly an honor to meet you," the figure spoke with an obviously faux sense of respect.

"Larkin," Revan coughed out. "You come any closer and I blow her Goddamn brains all over that back wall. I'm not screwing around Larkin."

Jill saw Revan's gun come back up and point directly between her eyes. She closed her eyes and shied her face away from her would be killer. Just then, Jill heard a shot fired. And there was blackness.

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_**A/N**: Oh no, that was a bit of an evil cliffy, huh? Don't fear though, I am currently typing chapter 5 as you read this, so you shouldn't have to wait long to find out what's going on. Thank you for reading. Just below this note, I have translated two bits of dialogue that may be a bit confusing to some people (both thoughts Jill had during section 3). Thank you for reading. And please, if you have liked what you've read (or if you hated it) please let me know about it. Just click that little review button down at the bottom and let the opinions fly!_

_**São abençoados os fabricantes do queijo- A literal translation of "Blessed are the cheese makers" in Portuguese.**_

_**Dukkha- Sanskrit, often translated as suffering, it is a term associated with Buddhism that while encompassing suffering, also encompasses a vast amount of other sensations.**_


	5. Sappy

_**Summary: **Was Bryce in time to save Jill? What became of Chuck and Bonita? How did Chuck and Bryce reconcile their friendship? All of these questions will be answered, plus an unexpected reunion._

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. If I could get a rent to own type situation going, I would be all for it._

_**A/N: **First I want to apologize to some of you who expected the meeting of the two teams to happen in this chapter. I expected it too. The length of the chapter got a little longer than I anticipated though, and I stopped it where it was. I hope you can still enjoy what is here. There is a good bit of Charah in this chapter, for those of you who've been clammoring for it, and there is certainly some Brill (Bryce/Jill), but that goes without saying. Thanks once again to my fantstical beta reader **timewalker05**, who's one of the best there is at **Chuck **fanfic. Without him, I promise this chapter would be a wreck, and many of you would be quite upset with me for how I worded something. Anyway. I want praddle on all day, enjoy **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah ch. 5: Sappy.**_

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**Inside the Fulcrum Base, Interrogation Room**

"I would have loved to have kept you here longer. You were quite the treat to play with. Unfortunately, your friends have shown up and ruined our party. Don't worry about them. You'll be seeing them all very soon. Wait. You believe in an afterlife right? No? Well maybe you won't see them after all." After what he thought was a tremendously funny parting monologue for the former Fulcrum agent, he had but one thing left to add: "Goodbye, Agent Roberts."

Suddenly, a tremendous explosion came from behind Revan, knocking him to the ground. Smoke and dust filled the air of the detention facility. A lone figure could just barely be seen as it stepped through the new "door" that had been created.

"Ah. The elusive Revan. It's truly an honor to meet you," the figure spoke with an obviously faux sense of respect.

"Larkin," Revan coughed out. "You come any closer and I blow her Goddamn brains all over that back wall. I'm not screwing around Larkin."

Jill saw Revan's gun come back up and point directly between her eyes. She closed her eyes and shied her face away from her would be killer. Just then, Jill heard a shot fired. And there was blackness.

_Huh. So this is death? Nice to know I still have the ability to think in death. I guess there is an afterlife anyway. Why the hell am I still in pain though? Maybe I'm in hell. Makes sense, I suppose. I mean I was-_

Jill's thoughts were interrupted by a burst of light. _Or maybe I'm not in hell! I think I see the light! No wait. That's not "the" light, it's just lights! And there's Bryce!_

As the lights came back on, Bryce stood over the felled Fulcrum interrogator, kicking his gun from his hand and placing a foot on his chest. Staring down into the cold eyes of the man that no doubt put _his_ Jill through hell, Bryce felt conflicted. Revan would die; of that he was sure. But should he do it now, or let him suffer for things to which he had subjected her? Finally he decided it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Revan huh?" Bryce looked down on the man who's life he was about to gladly take. "Well you can call me Darth Malak, bitch!" Bryce squeezed the trigger of his S&W 1911 (which he wished was Chuck's gun instead) sending the Fulcrum agent to whatever awaited him beyond his mortality.

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**Inside the Fulcrum Base, Upper Level**

"_Looks like we're all clear," _crackled Casey's voice through Chuck's earwig_._

_Dammit. We're all through here, and I didn't get off one good shot. Well, I had one decent opportunity , but that one missed the intended target and hit a service breaker._

Chuck approached the corner around which Sarah and Casey had gathered the few surviving agents from the instillation. "Good work Agent Carmichael," a non-descript member of the tactical team assured him as he passed. "Thanks," Chuck replied, trying his best to sound happy and not disappointed.

It was not that he enjoyed killing. It was a just a part of the job that he had accepted as unavoidable. And if there was anything that Chuck hated, it was feeling less than adequate at his job. Unfortunately, it appeared he'd leave this Fulcrum base feeling exactly like that today. _And besides, I have a kick ass pistol that only thirty-nine other people in the world have. It really is a shame to let it go to waste._

Rounding the corner, Chuck saw his friends. Casey sported the happiest look he carried in his repertoire. Gun play always made the Major burst with child like exuberance. Sarah looked over the new prisoners with her typically stoic "agent face," as Chuck liked to call it.

"So everyone's accounted for?" Chuck asked in as neutral a tone as he could muster as he approached.

Sarah looked up and her boyfriend and gave him a warm smile. Casey looked over to the grinning CIA agent and emitted a grunt of annoyance before answering Chuck's query. "Well, one slipped out an escape route on the west side of the building. Looked like a low level grunt. Nothing to be too shaken up-"

Before Casey completed his sentence, Chuck's gun came up at the ready pointed right at the NSA agent. Sarah and Casey instinctively ducked out of the way and Chuck fired, striking the previously unseen would be assailant in the forehead.

"I'll check him," Sarah said running towards the downed enemy agent.

"Huh!" Chuck huffed. "I got him right between the eyes. If he makes it, call him "Grace" 'cause he's amazing."

"Chuck, no one over the age of twenty-five with a respectable job has ever heard that stupid song you named your gun for," Casey reminded the Nerd Herd supervisor. It was not the first time he had reminded him of this detail.

"Looks like he's a dead low level grunt now," Sarah deadpanned, dropping the lifeless wrist of the corpse.

"Bonita, you did well today baby," Chuck cooed to his beloved sidearm.

"You seriously have to spend less time with Casey," Sarah said looking up at her boyfriend and shaking her head.

"If he spent any less time with me, people would begin to mistake you two for Siamese twins." Casey looked from one partner to the other before adding, "Siamese twins connected at a very interesting part of the body, but still."

"Oh here we go," Sarah said in an exasperated tone. But before he could continue their verbal jousting, Sarah picked up the radio Bryce had given them.

"We're all clear. No casualties. Do you have the package?" She asked.

After a moment, the radio came to life and Bryce replied "_Affirmative. Let's get out of here._"

"Sorry about the lights, man," Chuck shouted hoping it would make it through.

"_Not a problem."_ Bryce paused before adding: _"Probably helped."_

"_Bryce, who's-" _a voice said before the signal on Bryce's end disconnected.

Chuck looked at the radio with a curious expression on his face. "Did you flash on that voice?" Sarah enquired. "No," Chuck managed. "But I know that voice from somewhere. I just can't place it." Chuck spoke the last part clearly deep in thought about who the mystery partner could be.

* * *

**Inside the Fulcrum Base, Interrogation Room**

Bryce searched Revan's pockets for the key to Jill's restraints. Finding it, he took one final look at the now dead Fulcrum agent. He felt no remorse. Hurrying over to his partner, he released her binds.

"Jill," Bryce began, finding that for possibly the first time in his life, he didn't really know what to say. "I was worried I wouldn't make it in time." He took a deep breathe as he prepared what to say next. "Jill, I…" _I love you _"I'm really glad to see you." _Dammit Bryce, you wuss._

Clearly emotional, Jill finally spoke. "Bryce…I was really scared I wouldn't get to see you again." Jill tried to clear her head to say what she wanted to say. "Bryce, I…" _I love you _"I didn't tell them anything." _Dammit Jill you wuss._

Bryce looked her over. "What's your condition?" _What the hell Bryce? Could you be more clinical? Why don't you just start calling her by her agency identification number? _"What I meant to say is…are you alright? I mean…I know you're not alright but…are you…have you-" Mercifully Jill placed a finger over his lips to quiet his babbling. _What the hell? I don't babble! I sound like Chuck. Maybe this is what Jill does to men. _Silently Bryce began to try to remember whether or not Chuck had been a babbler in the fifteen minutes he had known him before Bryce introduced Chuck to Jill. He didn't think so.

"I'm…" Jill paused. "I'm pretty badly bruised. I have some cuts. I think he planned on keeping me around a while though. He actually stayed away from the major organs," she said showing her knowledge of the human body afforded her by her background in biology and the self awareness she gleaned from her training. Jill looked down at her body, as if to give herself a more thorough exam. "No broken bones." Jill thought on that and decided to add some levity to the situation. "So I have that going for me…which is nice."

Bryce's lips quirked up into a smile and he let out a low chuckle. It was the first time he had felt like laughing in what seemed like ages. Jill started to respond with a laugh of her own, but winced in pain.

"Are you alright?" Bryce asked, worried, as he reached out to support Jill who was now starting to double over.

"Fine," Jill said with a weak gasp. She sat back up. "Just a little sore," she said and smiled. "It hurts to laugh," a thought that made her jovial mood disappear for a moment.

"Don't worry, we're going to get you some medical attention, and I'll make them run the show _Two and a Half Men _on a loop. No one has ever laughed at that show," Bryce joked.

Jill began to laugh, and again felt a sharp pain from the action. She playfully slapped Bryce on the shoulder and conjured the biggest smile she could. "Don't make me laugh! I will get better and I will hurt you!" _God it feels good to be with him again. I missed this._

Looking down at his partner, Bryce was suddenly overcome with emotion.. "God, I'm just so glad you're alive." He leaned over and gave her a very gentle kiss. Regretting his actions immediately, he tried to pull back, but Jill grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down to her, capturing his lips in a much more passionate embrace. Once over the initial shock, Bryce responded, accepting her lips with his. Pushing her sweat matted hair out of her face, Bryce held her as tight as he could without risking hurting her.

After what seemed like hours, the two sets of lips parted. Silence was back in the room. Even their heavy breathing seemed to be muted as the partners stared at one another uncomfortably. It wasn't the first time they had kissed. It was actually far from it. But this was different. This was an unspoken promise. This was an agreement that they both knew how they felt about each other. This was something of which neither of them was really accustomed.

They were both relieved to have the uncomfortable silence broken up by the sound of the radio Bryce had given Team Chuck.

"_We're all clear. No casualties. Do you have the package_?" Sarah's voice came through the speaker.

Bryce let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure if it was for having the awkward moment ended, or that everyone was all right and the Fulcrum presence here had been taken care of. "Affirmative. Let's get out of here," he responded to her inquiry.

"_Sorry about the lights, man,"_ Chuck's shout could be heard through the radio.

"Not a problem." Bryce paused before adding "Probably helped."

"Bryce, who's…" Before she could ask her question, Bryce quickly cut the radio off. He didn't know if Chuck would recognize her voice or not, but it wasn't worth the risk.

The radio off, Bryce answered her unfinished question, and the unasked one that he was sure would follow. "That was Chuck. Their team assisted in the rescue. As for why I panicked and turned off the radio, Beckman ordered that they not know that you're my partner. They don't know that you're one of us now."

This news made Jill sad in a way. She understood the logic though. With all that Fulcrum had put them through, they would be hard pressed to believe she was genuinely "in the fold" now. She hated that Chuck would always remember her as a Fulcrum agent; he'd know her as a betrayer. But she took solace in the fact that she now knew that Bryce felt about her just as she did about him. That kiss had said as much. Sighing, she looked up at her partner, a request clear in her eyes. She'd been here long enough.

"Let's get out of here," he answered what he knew she wanted to know. Bryce radioed out to the medical team and told them to meet him at the entrance to the escape tunnel. Reaching down, he scooped Jill up in his arms. Clasping her hands behind his neck, they began their trudge out of the now _former_ Fulcrum base.

"You do know," she started quietly, "that in the game, _Revan_ actually kills _Malak_, right?"

"I know that," Bryce said. "But I'm quite positive that douche had no idea." The couple shared a smile as they walked back through Bryce's "door" to the escape tunnel.

* * *

**Casey's Suburban, Post Mission**

The vehicle was quiet, as it usually was after missions. Casey was daydreaming about the gun play he'd gotten to partake in. Chuck was deep in thought. The voice that came ever so briefly through their radio was still bothering him. He knew that voice. But from _where_ did he know that voice?

Sarah sat next to Chuck and had snuggled into his chest, his long arm draped protectively around her. The mission was just a memory now. She had long ago learned that you couldn't dwell on any one mission. It would destroy you eventually; it was best to just let them go. Remember the lessons you learn each time; but once you filed a mission report, it became like it had happened to someone else. It was her coping mechanism for when she had to do the morally grey. Since she had met Chuck, though, the definition of "morally grey" had certainly changed. She looked up at the man that had made her reevaluate her view of the world. He was clearly troubled by something. Craning her neck up, she gave him a light kiss on the cheek, seemingly pulling him out of his ruminations. "What are you thinking?" she asked sweetly.

"Uh," how did he put this and not sound ridiculous. "That voice. Bryce's partner. I know that voice. It was so familiar." _So much for not sounding ridiculous, _he thought ruefully.

Appraising his worried expression, Sarah looked at him sympathetically. "It was probably just the radio sweetie. I'm sure it's no one we know." She smiled at him and brushed another soft kiss, this one across his lips, before playfully tousling his hair.

Chuck smiled at his girlfriend to ward off any more conversation about it. The thought wouldn't leave him alone, however. He'd have to sit down later and think of all the female spies he'd come into contact with. That voice had to belong to one of them.

* * *

**Westside Medical Center**

Looking around her room she began to speak "So when I was with Fulcrum," Bryce and Jill both grimaced at her bringing this up, but she kept on, "we had a full time medical staff at multiple locations across the country. It made sense to do that because most of our operations were domestic. How exactly does this CIA doctor thing work? I've never been injured enough for it since I've been working with you…until now."

"Well, of course most of our operations are abroad, so it wouldn't be prudent to have many locations in country for just Agency. There is a secure facility in Washington… well, actually it's in Fairfax, VA, but whatever. Anyway, most operatives injured in country are taken either to a military hospital, or in most major cities, like LA, we have a number of doctors that the CIA co-opts. It's not really a big deal for them. Just another patient. He'll know you're Agency, and will refer to you as Agent Roberts. Of course you'll get every treatment available. Other than that, you're no different than any other patient to him. Oh! And just so you know, the nurses will not know you're an agent. There are too many of them for everyone to pass a background check. The cover they've been given is that you were kidnapped and tortured for days."

"So pretty much the truth then, without the classified stuff?" Jill looked at Bryce with a look of indignation. _Why even bother giving them a cover story if that's the best you can do. I would have told them I was in a battle to the death with a ninja vampire, and won! _She paused and thought about what her mind had just conjured up. _Wow, pain meds must be setting in._

The door cracked open and a pretty young nurse stuck her head in the room. "Is everything all right? Can I get you anything?" Jill shook her head and declined. "All right then, the doctor should be with you shortly." As she started to shut the door, she looked back. "Oh! There you are," she finished leaving the door open for what Bryce and Jill assumed must be the doctor.

The well shaped figure walked into the room, shutting the door behind them. Looking down at the chart in their hand, the doctor said "Good morning! I'm Dr. Woodcomb. So let's take a look at you Agent…" the doctor paused, leafing through the pages to get a name "…Roberts?"

The doctor's head snapped up. "Jill?" The doctor then recognized the person at Jill's bedside. "Bryce?"

And for the first time in nearly seven years, Bryce Larkin and Jill Roberts were face-to-face with the former Eleanor Faye Bartowski.

* * *

**Sarah and Chuck's Apartment**

Toweling off after a spirited workout, Sarah went to the refrigerator to grab another bottle of water. When Ellie and Awesome had gotten their own place, Chuck and Sarah had taken over the master bedroom. Since she began teaching Chuck self defense, they had decided to turn Chuck's old room into an in home gym. _What a God send that has been_, Sarah thought. Not that she minded the drive to the gym, but at least at home, she wouldn't have to deal the gawkers. Okay, she would have to deal with one gawker, but she didn't mind him looking so much.

Spying her gawker relaxing on the couch with a beer, Sarah stealthily snuck up behind him and wrapped him in her arms tightly.

"Aah!" he said with alarm looking around. "Oh." Realizing it was his beautiful girlfriend that had him in a death grip he relaxed. Then he had a realization. "Ew!" he expressed. "You're all sweaty!"

"Yep," she said nodding her head. "And now you're all sweaty, too. I guess we'll just have to take a shower."

The corners of his mouth started to turn up into a smile as he asked, "Is this one of those things you want to show Casey video of?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," she replied with a mischievous smile.

"Quite proud of yourself, are you Agent Walker?" he teased.

"I'm proud of _us, _sweetie," she corrected. Her face turning more serious, something had been nagging her all day. "Chuck?" she began. "You hated Bryce for a long time. Even after you learned why he did what he did at Stanford. And even after you learned that he wasn't really with Jill, you still hated him. What changed? Is it because we're together now? Were you jealous that he and I were with one another when I kept saying that you and I could never be a couple? If you don't want to answer, that's fine. That question has just been burning a hole in me all day, and I thought that…" Chuck cut her off with a brief kiss.

Chuck always thought she was adorable when she got flustered about something like that. Composing himself, he prepared to answer her litany of questions. "Well, for starters, there were two distinct occurrences that my friendship with Bryce was rebuilt on. The first came when I found out the whole truth about Stanford. I finally understood why Bryce did what he did."

"But even after that you still said you hated him. You…" He cut Sarah off again, this time pressing a finger to her lips.

Chuck sighed before continuing. "You're right. I did still say that I hated him, because I did." Noticing the confused look on Sarah's face, Chuck decided to press on. "That was only the first occurrence. The second had more to do with Morgan."

Sarah didn't know where Chuck was going with that, but she was very interested. She nodded her head to encourage him on. "One day I was walking through the break room, and I saw Morgan and Anna together. I saw how happy they were." Chuck paused in contemplation before he began again. "I made a vow that day that I was going to make myself happy. I was going to take control of my life for the first time ever."

"When I was a really young, my parents controlled my life. In my teenage years, I let Ellie control my life." He stopped and looked at Sarah. "Did you know that I didn't even want to go to Stanford at first? I got into MIT. I had scholarships lined up from here to, well, Cambridge. Ellie though… she said it was too far away. Said that Stanford was a good school, and I'd do just fine there." He looked up at the ceiling as if what he wanted to say next was written there.

"Then at Stanford…well you know what happened. For a long time, I told people that Bryce ruined my life. Even more so when he sent me the Intersect. Then he shows up and, of course, you and he have history. I just couldn't believe how much he had screwed up my life. Then one day I had a revelation ." Sarah looked intently at Chuck willing him to continue. "Bryce didn't screw my life up. It isn't his _to _screw up. I let him control me."

Having long finished his beverage, Chuck reached out and grabbed Sarah's water from beside her, stealing a quick sip. This earned him a playful slap on the hand. The lovers shared a laugh before Chuck continued.

"I let him control me from the time we met, until I decided that I needed to make my own decisions. So if I'm not mad at Ellie for talking me out of MIT, and I'm not mad at my parents for not getting me involved in things that might make me more, well, coordinated, then I have no right to be made at Bryce for his discretions."

Chuck smiled at Sarah as he finished his proclamation. He had but one more thing to add to the story.

"Then, the next time he was in town, I told him that I forgave him for everything that ever happened, and I apologized for blaming him for my shortcomings. I extended my hand to him and told him that if he'd still have me, I'd like to be his friend."

Chuck started down at his shoes, and took a deep, cleansing breathe. He had known all of that for a while now, but to voice it to someone else had been extremely therapeutic. After telling her how he went about "fixing" his life, Chuck felt closer than ever to Sarah.

For her part, Sarah was astounded to learn that she could love this man even that much more. What he'd just told her took courage and maturity that many men will never gain. She didn't know why she was so surprised. Sarah had always known Chuck was special.

Pulling him forward and planting a firm kiss on this lips, she stared into his chocolaty brown eyes and beamed with pride. "How about that shower now?" she asked in her most seductive tone.

"I thought you'd never ask," Chuck said. Standing up, he started moving to the bathroom, dropping clothes all along the way as he went. Before he could get to the shower, however, his phone rang. _Hit "Decline" Chuck, _his conscience told him. He looked down to his iPhone and seeing Ellie's picture, knew he needed to answer.

"What's up sis?" Sarah walked up behind him and began rubbing his bare back as he spoke.

"WHAT!!" A shocked look came across Chuck's face.

"With who?" A range of emotions continued to play across his face.

"No. No, Ellie, I don't think that's a good idea. Alright. Okay. Talk to you later, El."

Chuck turned to Sarah with an expression she couldn't read shown on his face. She fixed him with an appraising eye. "What?" she asked, worried of his answer.

"I know who Bryce's partner is." Chuck said, devoid of any emotion. "It's Jill."

* * *

_**A/N: **They know it's Jill! What happens now? I had originally planned on this chapter being longer, and including the meeting between B&J and C&S, but I didn't want this chapter to get out of hand length wise, and it would have happened (we're talking had I done that potentially 8-10,000 words for one chapter, and it kind of takes the punch out of the beginning). Plus this gives you something with which to look forward. Now, if you would please take a moment and let me know what you thought of this chapter, I would really be appreciative. It only takes a minute, and it is such a reward to receive them. Thank you again for reading. I love you guys. Pease._


	6. Downer

**_Summary: _**_How did Ellie get involved with the CIA? What happens when she discovers Jill and Bryce? Will the two teams finally meet? All this time in **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah ch. 6: Downer **Warning: Mentions of character death!!  
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_**Disclaimer:** Don't own Chuck. Plain enough?  
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_**A/N: **Thank you again to all of those who took the time to review. I must apologize. I don't really like what I've done with the Chuck character...but the rub when you decide to put a story out at a break neck pace is sometimes you rush a decision. Oh well, I'll play it to the bone. I hope it doesn't take away from your enjoyment of the story otherwise. Thank you again to the great **timewalker05 **for the beta work. My writing would be very ugly if not for him. I guess that's about all. Oh, the song Chuck named his gun after is called **Neva Scared by Bone Crusher **if anyone's interested. Probably on iTunes and stuff. So, on with the story, enjoy._

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* * *

  
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**Westside Medical Center**

Dr. Ellie Woodcomb was a rising star in the LA medical community. Three times in the last five months she'd been published in _The Journal of Trauma._ Many in her field considered her now to be one of the finest trauma surgeons in the United States. She had heard the buzz around her work, but for the life of her she didn't know from where this outpouring of respect had come.

_That's a lie Eleanor. You know exactly when this started. _

Truth be told, she wasn't doing anything differently than when she was a mere resident. Now she was a department head. In fact she was the youngest department head in the hospital's history. She often wondered why _she _had garnered such respect with such a short career.

_Ellie, you know why. You know how this happened._

She had always been proud to be a doctor. She'd dreamed of practicing medicine since she was a child, when she would force her little brother Chuck to lie still while she "operated" on him. _I wonder if that's when he developed his fear of needles, _she thought with a grin.

She had a good job as a trauma surgeon. She enjoyed her work. She liked the people she worked with. She even liked her boss. Dr. Robert Edwards had been the Head of Trauma at Westside for longer than Ellie had known how to tell time. _Alright, fine, I didn't learn how to tell time until the fourth grade. It's hard for some people, okay? _

That said, she didn't see her career really taking off like she had hoped it would. None of her papers seemed to get published. None of her colleagues thought of her as having any more esteem than even a resident. In fact, many patients assumed for some reason that she was just a nurse.

But a little over a year ago –or 16 months now, to be exact- Ellie was approached by a man in a dark suit about a possible "Career making opportunity" as he had phrased it. She'd figured that this "offer" would be less than interesting, and that his claims of "making her career" would prove fruitless, but Ellie long ago learned not to turn away any offer without first hearing what it was.

She came to the designated meeting spot –a table in the far corner of the cafeteria- to find the man already waiting. He was wearing a suit identical to the one he'd had on the previous day. _Or maybe it's the same one and he doesn't realize just how observant we doctors are_.

Ellie took a seat across from the man, who to her discomfort had yet to actually introduce himself. She wasn't worried. Cameras were set up to capture every square inch of the hospital. This man would have to be a fool to try anything to hurt her. Still, the silence felt more than a little uncomfortable, so finally she spoke.

"Hi," she said extending her hand. "I'm Dr. Eleanor Bartowski." After a pause she added, "Of course since you approached me, you already knew that," a sheepish grin curling her lips.

"Indeed," said the man shaking her hand with a bemused smile of his own. He then reached inside of his jacket and Ellie recoiled, scared of for what he might be reaching. Instead of a weapon or restraint of some sort, though, he withdrew a billfold and flipped it open. "Agent Ben Easterling, CIA.".

"Did I do something wrong?" Ellie asked in a worried tone. "Is it my brother? Did he do something? I bet it was! I bet his idiot friend talked him into it. I told him he needed to stop spending so much time with Morgan, and more time with Sarah. She's such a good influence on him. I don't know why he doesn't take her more seriously. I mean you should see her. She is beautiful. Not just that, but she's smart too. And she's really is into my brother. I can see that. Not to mention…" She stopped herself. Not usually one to babble, her nerves were getting the best of her. She took a calming breathe and awaited what the agent had to say.

With a confused look on his face, the agent finally spoke again. "Dr. Bartowski, no one is in trouble. I'm here to make you an offer that I think you will find quite enticing." Ellie said nothing, but nodded to the agent to encourage him to continue. "You see doctor we at the CIA have to have medical care ready for our agents across the country. While most of our work is done abroad, when we do have work "in country" we need to know what medical professionals will be looking out for our people."

What was going on here? Was this man trying to get her to join the CIA? Chuck would get a kick out of this. _Or maybe he'd be jealous that he didn't get a chance to work for them_, she thought doing her best to hide her smile.

"The long and short of it, Dr. Bartowski, is this: We need a new trauma surgeon on our team. We have reviewed your records –both medical and criminal, which are both spotless- and we think you'd make an excellent candidate to fill this position."

"Where would I have to go?" she asked the man worriedly.

"Nowhere," he said flatly. "You would continue to work your normal job. The only difference would be that when we had an issue in this area with one of our people, you would be the one that we expect to take care of them. It would be top secret of course. With current HIPAA regulations, though, you wouldn't have to act at all abnormally." Ellie nodded at this part knowingly. "The only notable exception would be that you would have to clear any consult through us before it was made. Well, that and sometimes you may be privy to what was actually wrong with your patient and not be able to share it with the other medical professionals working with you."

Ellie thought about what the man was saying. It really didn't sound like that bad of a deal. She would get exciting cases to work, and wouldn't really have to change anything about her life. She did have one question though: "Does this position pay, or am I doing it 'for the good of my country?'"

"Well, hopefully you would do it for the good of your country… but we'd sweeten the pot with an extra $200,000 a year. And certain… extra benefits."

"Extra benefits?" Ellie inquired.

"As you know, it helps to have friends in any business, Dr. Bartowski." The man's look gave away his true meaning.

"Indeed," the young doctor said, echoing the agent's earlier retort.

It was really a good deal in retrospect. She had in fact gained many extra benefits. She was now taken more seriously than ever as a doctor. The extra $200,000 had really come in handy as well. It had helped secure her and Devon a nice house in a nice neighborhood. And after Devon's injury, they'd really needed the extra money until he was able to practice medicine again.

And for all the CIA had done for her, they had asked so very little. In fact, in the sixteen months that she'd been co-opted by the Agency, she'd actually only seen two of their patients. One man was practically dead from a gunshot wound when he arrived. She'd been able to remove the bullet; but he'd lost too much blood before he even got there, and she lost him. The other was a man that had lost his arm in an explosion. She was able to sew him up and treat the burns, but there was no saving the arm. Today she had the first CIA patient she'd seen in over four months. Ellie was scanning over the file in her hand, and nothing looked too terribly bad. No broken bones. No organ damage. From what the chart read, the agent was mostly just covered in contusions and lacerations. Observation for a day or two should be the only thing required.

A nurse was just coming out of the room when she approached. Greeting the young attractive RN, Ellie came to the door of the room.

The brunette walked into the room, shutting the door behind her. Looking down at the chart in her hand again, the doctor said "Good morning! I'm Dr. Woodcomb. So let's take a look at you Agent…" then she paused, leafing through the pages to get a name "…Roberts?"

Ellie's head snapped up. "Jill?" The doctor then recognized the person at Jill's bedside. "Bryce?"

And for the first time in nearly seven years, Ellie Bartowski Woodcomb was face to face with Jill Roberts and Bryce Larkin.

Ellie put aside the shock of seeing the two people who'd hurt her brother more than anyone ever had and did her job. She may have been a little rough while examining Jill, as she would later admit to herself; but on the whole, she kept it very professional. _In a way it makes sense that these two tell lies for a living, _she thought before walking out of the room.

Strolling down the hall now, Ellie was fighting a silent battle between her professionalism and her duty to her little brother. As it usually did with the Bartowski siblings, family won out in the end.

Dialing her phone frantically, she called Chuck. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. _Come on Chuck pick up the phone. Sarah would understand me stealing him for just a minute. _Finally he answered.

"Chuck, Bryce Larkin is not dead!"

"He's not dead Chuck. I just saw him. He's with Jill." She wanted to tell him what they really were, but her better judgment won out.

"Are you going to come see them? I could give you the room number and you could call. Well, let me know if you change your mind. I'll tell them you said 'hi' to see how they react. Love you little brother."

Ellie ended the call and put her phone away angrily. God she hated those two people!

* * *

**Office of the National Directorate of Intelligence**

General Dianne Beckman did not like bad news. Such being the case, the past few days had been pure hell.

First she an agent on the number two team against Fulcrum had been captured. The captured agent also could potentially have knowledge that led to the Intersect.

The situation was so dire that she had to send in her number one team –a team that had previous contact with the hostage and thus learning her identity could cause complications- to assist in the rescue. Allowing Team Chuck that close to Agent Roberts had been a real risk. Fortunately, the risk had paid off and the identity of Bryce Larkin's partner had remained hidden.

All of that good fortune ended up being for naught, as it turned out that Jill had been mistakenly taken to Westside Medical Center, where the CIA contact doctor was the sister of Chuck Bartowski. There were very strict orders in the files of all of Team Bartowski, and Bryce Larkin that they were never to be taken for care there. Because Jill Roberts had been put into the field just recently, however, the need for such a directive on her had been overlooked.

_Well General, now the cat's out of the bag. Roberts will be sidelined from real action for weeks. Might as well_ _use the tools you have at your disposal._

Beckman pressed a button on the console in front of her, beaming her likeness onto the television of Major John Casey.

"Major. Your team will be receiving two new additions temporarily. There will be a briefing to introduce all of you at 0900 tomorrow. Please inform Walker and Bartowski."

Before Beckman could cut the transmission, Casey spoke, "Permission to speak freely General?" He saw his superior give a slight nod accompanied by a wave. "General -not that I'm complaining about an order- but why do never tell them yourself. You have access to their television the same as mine."

"Major…after the "incident" when I contacted them on Bartowski's birthday…it will never happen again. I'll call you. They can call me." And with that, the General ended the transmission.

* * *

**Castle Base, Beneath the Orange Orange**

Casey descended the steps into Castle, spotting Sarah already sitting at the center table, hard at work on her Mac Book. "Where's Bartowski?"

Looking up at Casey then back at her watch, she spoke, "Briefing's in ten. He should be done with his TM any minute now."

Casey grunted at the mention of Chuck's practice. "I don't see why that moron needs to meditate. He spent five years of his life doing absolutely nothing. He should be well centered and rested."

Sarah looked at Casey with annoyance. "You know what he's been through the past six months. You know what he gave up. And you know _when_ he decided to give it up." Casey rolled his eyes, but the truth was, he knew she was right. Chuck had faced a lot of difficult situations, and made a lot of tough decisions since May.

"He had a breakthrough last night." Casey looked up at Sarah trying to hide his interest but failing. "He actually talked about Morgan." At the mention of Chuck's late friend, Casey let out a growl of annoyance. He was actually relieved to hear the news, but she didn't need to know that. Truth be told, Casey knew that Morgan's death not to mention Devon's paralysis had been a driving factor in Chuck's dedication to being better in the "spy world" as he called it.

Before the conversation could go any further, the subject of said conversation entered the room. "Good morning Casey," said Chuck in an uncharacteristically somber tone. "So I hear we're going to be having visitors." He looked down at the floor.

"Still scared Walker won't be able to keep it in her pants with Larkin around Bartowski?" Casey grinned at his ability to piss two people off so completely with just one sentence.

"I think…" Sarah sighed, and then looked down at the table. "Chuck is probably more concerned with Bryce's partner."

"Why? We don't even know…"Casey was cut off by the sound of the doors to Castle sliding open to reveal Bryce Larkin. He was followed closely by a woman that was walking quite gingerly.

Taking time to assess the woman, Casey caught a glimpse of her face. Recognition immediately washed over him.

"Oh," Casey stated simply.

* * *

**Buy More Plaza Parking Lot, Burbank, CA**

Something about the re-appearance of Bryce and Jill just didn't sit right with Ellie. The more she thought about it, the more curious she became about why exactly the two were in LA. Luckily Dr. Ellie Bartowski had learned a thing or two from years of watching spy movies with her brother. After discharging Jill, Ellie got into her inconspicuous rental car she had obtained for her "mission" and followed the signal from the GPS device she had placed under one of Jill's bandages.

_I really shouldn't be doing this, _she'd thought. She was almost positive that if Devon had been home, she wouldn't be doing this. But he was gone. He'd been gone for two weeks. He'd be very upset if he found out what she was doing. But these two people had a connection to her brother. If she tracked them down, she was really looking out for him in a way. She'd promised herself long ago that no matter what happened, she would never stop looking out for Chuck. This fell within those boundaries, right?

She had followed the GPS signal at a safe distance for miles. She was almost ready to give up, when it finally stopped. It stopped on Burbank, Blvd. Did they go to see Chuck? Were they going to rub it in his face that they were together, and he was still at the Buy More? _That's fine. Wait until Bryce gets a load of Sarah. She's twice the beauty Jill is. And much more pleasant, _thought Ellie with amusement.

Pulling up into the Buy More Plaza, Ellie was just in time to see Bryce and Jill disappear into…_The Orange Orange?_

_Why would they be going to see Sarah? _Waiting a couple of minutes, Ellie went to the door of the frozen yogurt shop and was surprised to see the closed sign facing the door. Even more surprising though, she saw no one in the shop. _What the hell is going on here? _Ellie went back to her rental and sat in waitwaited.

* * *

**Inside Castle, Beneath Orange Orange**

"General, I don't know if that's a good idea. Too many of Chuck's friends and relatives could easily identify both Agents Larkin and Roberts." Sarah did not like the idea of that bitch being on her turf for any extended period of time.

"_Your concern is noted Agent Walker; but I'm afraid I'm left with no other options. For the time being, they will be staying in Castle, unless a mission requires otherwise. But on that point, it would be wise for Roberts and Larkin to stay out of the public eye at all other times. Therefore, Agent Walker, you and Bartowski will also be staying in Castle to act as their liaison to the outside world."_

Bryce had slept in much more uncomfortable environments than here. He was also sure that Jill would be taken care of and given a comfortable place to sleep in order to rest her injuries. But the thought of sharing a space with his former lover, her current lover who was his friend, and his, well, he didn't know how to refer to Jill, but the fact remained that she was Chuck's ex. Bryce knew that he, Jill, and Sarah would be fine, but he worried about how Chuck would react. He decided to make his reservations known.

"General, I worry about…with the past of the four of us…" he was trying his best not to single out Chuck, but the General was clearly getting impatient with him. "I'm afraid of how Chuck will react to the proximity of all of us." Bryce felt a little guilty for having to put down his friend. He hoped that Chuck would forgive him.

Beckman seemed annoyed at Bryce's concerns. _"Agent Larkin, we are given no choice on what course of action we pursue. Perhaps you should try to keep your personal life out of this. I am sure Agent Bartowski will act professionally." _Beckman then reached out and closed the conference with the press of a button.

Turning slowly towards his former college roommate, Bryce had a strange expression on his face. "Agent Bartowski?" Jill looked just as dumbfounded as Bryce at the title.

"Umm…Bryce? I should probably bring you up to speed, huh?" Chuck asked, casting a sheepish grin towards Bryce and Jill.

"And I'm going to work," Casey interrupted and he turned and headed for the exit to Castle.

Watching him go, Chuck waited for the doors to close before swallowing hard and looking back to his friend and ex-girlfriend. Not sure where to start, he decided he might as well tell the story from the beginning. "So have you ever heard of Orion?"

* * *

**Buy More Plaza Parking Lot**

_What the hell could be going on in there? It's been over an hour, and no one has come out, no one has gone in, and no one appears to be in there. And why isn't Chuck at work?_ Ellie had been here for over an hour. Her only break had been to go see if she could spot Chuck at the Buy More. That strange looking kid named Fernando had told her that Chuck hadn't come in yet, even though he was supposed to start work over half an hour ago. That wasn't like Chuck.

She was just about to give up and go home. She could ask Sarah about it later. She was quite sure the pretty blond wouldn't be capable of lying to someone as in tune with honesty as LA's finest trauma surgeon. Just then, however, a man strode out of the yogurt shop. She recognized him immediately.

"John Casey?" Ellie whispered to herself. She was more confused than ever.

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_**A/N: **Thank you again for reading, and please, if you have a minute, I'd love to hear from you. The reviews really are the only reward authors get. It's like a bunch of little Christmas presents. So be a giver...please. :-)_

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	7. Drain You

_**Summary:** How will our two couples co-exist in such a confined area? Would Ellie tell anyone what she saw? Where is Devon? What was the incident that changed Chuck? All that and more in chapter 7 of **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**  
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_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. I do own a nasty sinus infection._

_***Spoiler Warning***: This chapter may make mention of things that we know happened through episode 2.19 Chuck vs. The Dream Job, as well as things that were pulled from the synopsis of episode 2.21 Chuck vs. The Colonel. What is mentioned from future episodes is in no way canon, but merely conjecture by me from what I've read, molded to fit my story.  
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_**A/N: **Thank you to everyone who took the time to review chapter 6. It really means a lot to get that feedback. I know there are a lot of questions right now, but they should all be answered over time. This is one of the shorter, if not the shortest chapter so far in the story, but it sets things in motion to move towards the eventual climax. I would say we have at least six or seven chapters left. I am off of work for the next couple of days though, so I hope to get this thing done before Monday. I have all ideas that Monday night, this becomes very, very AU. I think my beta said he was busy, so this one is proofread by me only. All mistakes are my own. If I get the edited version, I'll post it. Again, I'd like to thank all of you who have stuck with me through this story, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. And finally, I present to you **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah ch. 7: Drain You.**_

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**Interrogation Room, Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange, Later That Night**

"…and so Fulcrum's Intersect was up and running. But before they could figure out that their Intersect was coded backwards, Sarah and I infiltrated their base to rescue Orion; to rescue my dad. While I was there, I managed to remove all of the Intersect images from my head, and I was a free man." Strangely, Chuck seemed to have become very somber at finishing this story.

"Wait, so if you got rid of the Intersect…why are you here? And that still doesn't explain 'Agent Bartowski' now does it?" While all of this new information was interesting, it didn't really make sense to Bryce. If Chuck had freed himself of the Intersect, then Sarah and Casey should be gone. Chuck should be back to living a normal life.

"Do you remember the 'incident' at the Fleetwood Mac show back in May?" Bryce nodded.

It had been the largest loss of civilian lives in any one attack in US history. The Staples Center in LA had been targeted by a group of foreign extremist. Over 14,000 people had died that day. After investigation, the CIA determined that the extremist had been funded and abetted by Fulcrum. It was a diversionary tactic. It had been Fulcrum's hope that the intelligence community would be tied up in Senatorial hearings and thus weakened enough to be overtaken once and for all.

"You can't possibly blame yourself for that though. Just because you live in Los Angeles doesn't mean you're responsible for finding every single threat here. Even if you'd still been the Intersect, who's to say that you'd have seen-"

"Turns out, my friend Morgan was a huge fan of the song 'Tusk.'" Chuck paused to see if Bryce would understand. He finally put the final piece of the puzzle into place for the shorter man. "I was there that day, with Morgan and Devon. The Intersect would have identified the threat before it was allowed to happen. If I'd still been the Intersect, Morgan would still be alive. Devon would still be able to walk." Chuck stared out into space, contemplating the what-ifs.

"But what's done is done Chuck. You can't fix what's already broken by becoming an agent!" Bryce was infuriated by his friend's lack of logic.

"No Bryce, I can't!" Chuck's voice had taken on an edge of its own. "But by getting the Intersect back and learning how to be an agent, I can stop it from happening again. I can keep innocent people safe. I can make a difference in the world."

"Chuck, you don't have to do what we do to make a difference." Bryce had softened his tone. Chuck was not meant for this. He had too good of a heart for the world of espionage.

"No. I know." Chuck's shoulders sagged for just a moment. Then he lifted his head, a look of determination suddenly radiating from his eyes. It was a look Bryce was unfamiliar with from his old college roommate. "But it's the only way I can make it right. It's the only way I can make sure it doesn't happen again. I won't let anyone else go through what I went through. Not when I have the power to stop it."

* * *

**Castle, Main Room**

Jill, not being privy to the conversation that Bryce was having with Chuck had struck out to find her own answers. She had been just as shocked to learn of who Chuck had become. There was only one person Jill could think to blame for this occurrence.

Jill limped over to the blond sitting behind a Mac Book, furiously typing up…something. Jill didn't really care what it was. Jill pushed Sarah out of her chair and stood over her threateningly.

"What the HELL did you do to him?" Sarah looked up in shock at the bruised and beaten brunette that stood over her. "What did you turn him into? Chuck is a good person. He is a GOOD person. But that wasn't enough for you? " Jill then came to a conclusion that in her rage filled mind could be the only reason this could have happened. "You couldn't stand losing Bryce could you? You tried to make Chuck into Bryce. Well listen to me! Chuck Bartowski is NOT Bryce Larkin. And YOU are not good enough for either of them!"

_Don't kill her Walker. Don't kill her. There will be repercussions if you kill her. _Taking a breathe to calm herself, Sarah looked up at Chuck's belligerent ex-girlfriend. "First of all, most of the time I don't think I'm good enough for Chuck either. The things I've done…Chuck deserves better." Jill started to nod vigorously, but then Sarah continued. "But I love him. And he loves me. And I would NEVER change anything about him." Sarah now stood and stared dangerously into Jill's eyes. "Chuck made some very hard decisions that he felt were right. I support him in whatever he does. And he _is_ still the same Chuck, even if he hides behind actions that say otherwise. I know Chuck. He could never be like Bryce, or you, or even me. Don't confuse his denial of a traumatic event with losing who he is. Now, if you want to know his motivation for doing what he's done, I suggest you ask him."

Sarah turned to walk away. She stopped in mid-stride, turning on her heel and grabbing Jill by her collar. "And while I'm making suggestions….I suggest that you never pull anything like that again. Injured or not, I will _end_ you." Sarah now stomped away from Jill, seething with rage at what had been done to her.

* * *

**Casey's Apartment**

_Holy hell. This is the best reality show ever. We took four US Intelligence Officers who have a much entangled romantic history and put them together under one roof. What happens when spies stop playing nice, and start getting real? _

_Okay, that was a little over the top John. No one will ever know that you're a fan of that show…understood? _Casey had thoroughly enjoyed watching the four spies trapped together in Castle. He was a little disappointed that Walker and Roberts hadn't started ripping clothes off of one another, but he had an active imagination, so he'd be fine with what he'd seen. He could picture the rest in his mind.

The action had died down for the moment though, and Casey could see the motion detector outside of the Woodcomb labode had been tripped. Pulling up the surveillance outside the couple's home, Casey was relieved to see it was only Devon, coming home from his two week trip. Since the incident, and his impending paralyzation, "Captain Awesome" had been travelling the country giving motivational speeches. _At least we don't have to hear about that Tony Robbins turd anymore, _Casey thought with a small grin at his own wit.

Just as he was about to switch back to the Castle feed, he heard something from Ellie -who was greeting Devon at the door- that caught his attention.

"_I think something's up with Sarah. I saw two people at the Orange Orange today that shouldn't have been there. They disappeared into the store. I went to see what was going on, and the door had been locked, the closed sign put up, and Sarah was nowhere to be seen. Then, an hour later, I saw our neighbor John Casey come out of the store. He hadn't been in there either. Devon…do you think Sarah has gotten my brother into something bad?"_

_Oh, shit, _Casey thought.

* * *

**Castle Base, Main Room**

Seeing Chuck walk out of the room he and Bryce had commandeered, Jill immediately approached her ex-boyfriend and cornered him.

"What the hell are you thinking?" Jill stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes drilling a hole through Chuck's.

"Jill, I don't want to get into this." He had just explained everything to Bryce, who he considered a friend. He sure as hell wasn't going to go through that emotional strain of recalling the events that led him to change him life for this backstabbing bitch.

"Chuck!" Jill's expression softened. "Chuck, I just know that this is not who you are. You're better than this." She paused again, grabbing Chuck's arm. "I just don't want to see you get hurt I still care about you."

Chuck couldn't believe she would have the nerve to say that after everything she had put him through in the past. "I'm sure you do Jill," he said with a very sarcastic tone. "But it doesn't matter anyway. I don't love you anymore Jill." _That's not the point, _Jill thought. _I just don't want you to get hurt. _"I'm in love with Sarah now."

_That's still not the point dumb ass. _"So what Chuck? I'm in love with Bryce. That doesn't-"

"What?!" Chuck asked

"What?!" Sarah –who had been walking by- chimed in.

Jill clasped her hand over her mouth realizing what she'd said. A look of horror spread across her face.

In another part of the room, a cup clattered to the floor. Bryce stared on in shock.

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_**A/N: **Thank you again for reading. I ask that you please leave me a review and let me know what you think about the story so far, and what you think of where it's going. I really adore reviews, and interacting with you guys, the readers. I try to respond to as many reviews as I can. And if you have a specific question, or suggestion, I will most certainly get back to you. Thank you again for reading. You guys are the best. Peace._


	8. Love Buzz

_**Summary: **__How will Bryce react to Jill's admission? How will Jill react? What does Team Bartowski think? Will Ellie figure out about Chuck's secret life? All this and more in ch. 8 of __**Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah: Love Buzz.**_

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Chuck, I only hope to contain him (wait does that make sense?). NBC owns Chuck, just to clarify._

_**A/N: **__Thank you again to all of those who read and reviewed ch. 7. I don't know if anyone picked up on it, but there was a rather glaring continuity error in the last chapter. In chapter 6, I'd established that Ellie and Devon had purchased a house and that Chuck and Sarah now lived in their old apartment. However in chapter 7, I had Ellie and Devon still living in the apartment next to John Casey. I went back and corrected the error. If you didn't notice it great. If you read the chapter after the correction, even better. This chapter is much longer than the last chapter, but there were things in the last chapter that I really wanted to highlight that would have gotten possibly overshadowed had I had just one long chapter. Once again, all mistakes are my own. Thank you so much for taking time to read my story, and I hope you enjoy chapter 8: __**Love Buzz.**_

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**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange**

"_I'm in love with Bryce." _

She was in love with him. Jill felt the same way he did. Was that a good thing? What were they supposed to do about it? It was clearly unprofessional to develop such feelings for anyone, much less someone you worked with. _God, this shouldn't be so hard! _

Bryce had never been so conflicted in his entire life. If there was one thing he had always been it was decisive. Bryce Larkin knew how to make the tough decisions for the good of everyone. He'd known that he needed to betray his bestfriend in order to keep him away from a life that would destroy him. He'd known he needed to leave behind a partner that really cared about him in order to prevent Fulcrum from getting their hands on the Intersect. He'd known that the very friend that he'd tried to keep out of all of this mess was the only one he could trust with the Intersect. But after all of this, and countless other instances of Bryce putting "The Greater Good" above his own personal feelings, didn't he deserve to be happy for once? Bryce Larkin was at a loss for what to do next. He did not enjoy the feeling. He needed some advice. _But who could I talk to that would understand my situation?_

As if in answer to his concerns, Sarah Walker walked into the room Bryce had holed himself up in. "Hi." She cautiously approached her former partner and lover with a gentleness he'd never known her to have. "Are you doing alright?" Bryce didn't answer her question directly but sighed in response to her query.

"Listen," she continued "I know what you're going through. I've been there. I know that I've never been very good at expressing how I feel verbally, but in my time with Chuck, I've gotten better. I know the conflict you're going through. You're worried about professionalism, right?" The look he gave Sarah answered the question for him. "Of course you are. You're "Super Agent Bryce Larkin." You don't have these feelings." Sarah paused at this point, and placed a reassuring hand on Bryce's shoulder. "But you're still human. You can't help how you feel. When you finally admit these things to yourself, you'll be even better than before. We're trained not to feel anything…but if we lose our connection to everything…what are we supposed to fight for?"

Sarah let her question sit for a few moments. She knew firsthand how difficult it was to deny the way you'd been trained to behave and find your true self. "I don't suspect you're ready to have "the talk" with Jill, but if you need a friend to help you work through it, I can certainly understand your situation. And I think you'll find I've become a pretty good listener. When you feel ready to talk about it, you know where to find me." She finished and began to walk away to leave Bryce to his solitude.

"It's just…" Bryce began to speak up before Sarah could leave the room. She turned around to look at him, her expression encouraging him to go on. "She said she lovesme Sarah. She said that she was _in love _with me. I've never had anyone say that, that I truly felt meant it before. And I'm worried that maybe she doesn't really mean it. Maybe I'm projecting my own feelings on her to will her words to be sincere."

"And because you know you can't trust anyone, you try to find every possible hole in what she said. You don't know why she would love _you. _You suspect that the reason she said what she did was for manipulation. You want with all of your heart to believe it is real, but even if it is, you're scared you'll screw it up. Am I close?" She looked into his eyes to convey her understanding.

"Yeah, I'd say you're pretty spot on. So what do I do? Even if I admit to myself that I…care about her…I don't think I can admit to her what she means to me yet. I don't want to hurt her, but I'm scared I'll do just that either way." Bryce was clearly flustered by his predicament.

"Hey," Sarah said, trying to get Bryce to meet her gaze. Finally he looked up at the blond. "You don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with. Eventually, you'll know how to proceed. And when you're ready, if she cares for you like I suspect that she does, she'll be waiting." Sarah gave him one last warm, reassuring look before turning to walk away again.

"Hey Sarah," Bryce waited for her to turn around. "Thanks,' he said simply. She walked back to him and hugged her former lover to comfort him.

"You two will be fine. Trust me." Sarah gave him one last squeeze before finally walking away, leaving Bryce to consider her advice.

* * *

**Casey's Apartment**

John Casey was at a loss for what to do with the Ellie Woodcomb situation. Devon, upon hearing her confession of what she'd seen had tried to assure her that there was a good explanation for what had occurred. Captain Awesome had learned long ago about Chuck's secret life, but to his credit, had done an excellent job of keeping his wife safe from the knowledge of her brother's spy exploits.

Despite the male doctor's words, however, Casey knew that the young woman wouldn't just let it die. Ellie Bartowski Woodcomb was, if nothing else persistent. The team would have to be on extra guard around her for the foreseeable future. There would be time to devise strategy with regards to how to confront his former neighbor's newfound skepticism with his team tomorrow he supposed. For the time being, he would return to the immensely uncomfortable, albeit entertaining show that was being put on at Castle.

The fireworks in Castle had finally calmed down some. The two temporary members of their team had each gone to find a place to be alone for a while. Jill's revelation to Chuck about her feelings for Larkin had certainly spooked the two, well, spooks. Sarah and Chuck seemed to be a bit taken aback at her admission themselves.

Then Casey saw Walker go to find Bryce. She gave him her lecture on how to not act like a spy. The Major wasn't sure if it was the best advice for Bryce right now, but if anyone understood the predicament he was in, it was Sarah. After they'd gotten all of their "lady feelings" out of the way, Walker turned to walk away.

"_Thank you." _Casey heard Bryce say through the surveillance. Then the blond walked back to him and hugged him. _Huh, _Casey thought to himself. _After some quick video editing, this little piece of footage should make for some interesting morning conversation between my partners. _Casey bore a self satisfied smirk at his nefarious intentions to needle the other members of his team and poured himself more Scotch.

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**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange**

_How could I be so stupid! "I'm in love with Bryce." What the hell was that Jill? _

_It's true you know._

_I know it's true! It doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't have blurted it out like that in front of everyone here, INCLUDING Bryce. Not to mention all of the surveillance that was no doubt set up in every corner of this base. Now Beckman and our superiors have all the evidence they need to consider our team compromised._

This was of particular concern to Jill. With her former Fulcrum association, she had always been considered a risk to security. If they felt that the man that should be keeping an eye on her to make sure she was on the up-and-up wasn't capable of being professional in his judgment of her intentions, it was highly likely that they would split the team up and send her back to a secure facility to do analysis.

As if she wasn't having enough problems to deal with, Chuck leaned in the door of her room and began to speak. "Hey, you doing alright?"

"I'm still mad at you." She really didn't want to talk about this yet with anyone, let alone Chuck. Chuck was a great conversationalist, but he just wouldn't understand. He'd always been so forthcoming with his emotions. How would he know what it feels like to have your biggest fear -divulging real emotion- come to fruition with the object of that emotion playing audience?

"I know you are. But I think you have something more pressing on your mind right now." Chuck continued to approach the former Fulcrum agent cautiously.

"Chuck, I don't want to-"

"You don't have to say anything. Just let me tell you about what I've gone through. Maybe it will help you deal with what's going on." _Couldn't hurt_, she thought in response to his request.

"Alright, I'll listen." She looked up at Chuck intently, waiting for him to proceed.

"First things first though." Chuck pulled a small device out of his pocket and placed it on the table next to Jill. "Short range signal jammer," he explained to her. "No one needs to know what is said in this room. If you have anything you want to say, it will be safe." He looked back up at his ex-girlfriend and took a deep breathe before beginning.

"When I first began working with the government, I felt like I was all alone. I was scared, and there weren't a lot of people who made me feel like things were going to be alright. The only person who could make me feel okay was Sarah." He looked at Jill to make sure she was still following him.

"We had a connection almost immediately. I won't say it was love at first sight, or something silly like that, but we, for whatever reason, had chemistry almost immediately. Even when I felt the entire world was against me, I always felt like she had my back."

Jill understood completely what Chuck was talking about. It had been a long time since she had really felt safe with anyone. Bryce had finally given her that feeling. He'd been her protector, her rescuer, her partner, and her friend over their time together.

"But despite the feelings that we had developed for one another, the job prevented us from being together. If they found out about the connection that we shared, they would have separated us. They'd have reassigned her, or sent me to a bunker. So for a long time, we had to suppress how we truly felt. That was a lot easier for her than me, but it was difficult on both of us."

Jill nodded in understanding. Maybe Chuck knew more about her situation that she'd first believed. The trials he and Sarah had gone through sounded remarkably like those she faced with Bryce.

"She actually was pulled from the assignment once you know?" Jill looked surprised at this revelation. She'd never been a friend of Sarah Walker, but Jill knew what that must have done to the blond agent. "It was only through how well she knew me, however, that I was rescued from a terrorist that was holding me hostage."

Chuck thought back to the emotional turmoil he'd experienced at Sarah's temporary expulsion from the team. Shaking off the remaining feelings of sadness, he continued.

"After she was able to use our connection as a method of keeping me safe, the rules relaxed around us. We were careful not to let our emotions interfere with a mission, or to be overly blatant in our show of affection for one another. Then after…" he stopped there, not wanting to discuss the incident for the second time today. "When I became an agent, we already had a relationship. Our superiors were aware of the nature of our emotions, and to be honest, we never really had a moment of trouble from them."

"So even when you were in danger of being extracted, they let it slide?" This was the part that had really piqued Jill's interest. If they'd let an asset-handler relationship slide, they might just stay out of the way for her and Bryce.

"They did." Chuck said plainly. "Look Jill, our bosses are strict on protocol, and rules and such, but at the end of the day, they want results. Especially with the battle we are now in with Fulcrum." Chuck then remembered something Beckman had said in the team's briefing before the rescue mission. "Beckman admitted that you and Bryce have been more effective as a team than almost anyone. As long as Fulcrum is being taken down, you have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you Chuck, you have helped me. But there is more to it than just that." Chuck looked up at Jill quizzically willing her to explain. Jill sighed and began to explain. "Chuck, I said I'm in love with Bryce. He heard that. What if it was too soon? What if he doesn't feel that way too? I don't want to screw it up with him, but I don't want to blow my opportunity. What am I supposed to do?" Her fears had fallen out of her mouth like an avalanche.

Chuck knew all too well what Jill was going through. It was the perpetual dance of fear that he'd done for over a year and a half worrying about Sarah's true feelings for him.

"First of all, let me assure you that Bryce cares for you deeply. I saw how he reacted when you were captured." Chuck paused and looked Jill in the eyes. "This doesn't get back to Bryce, alright?" She nodded agreement to his request. "When you were held hostage, Bryce reacted not like a fellow agent. He wasn't set to rescue _just _a partner. He was going in to rescue someone he cared about deeply."

Chuck watched the recognition wash over Jill's face. He decided he should answer another question she'd had. "As for what you're supposed to do...be patient. Bryce might not feel comfortable telling you how he really feels yet. He might not even be comfortable enough yet to admit to himself how he really feels. But he will come around. Just give him time and be supportive, Jill. When he's ready to move forward you'll be ready." Chuck then picked the device up from the table and turned to leave.

Before he could reach the door though, Jill grabbed his arm and spun him around. She threw her arms around him and held him as tight as her battered body would allow.

"Thank you Chuck. You are truly a great friend." Jill had tears of appreciation forming in her eyes at the advice she'd been given. She truly appreciated having Chuck around again.

"You're welcome, Jill." Chuck gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before extracting himself from her embrace and leaving the room.

* * *

**Casey's Apartment**

_You know, as interested as I am in exactly what Bartowski is saying to Jill, it might be more disturbing to Larkin and Walker that Chuckles decided to black out the room they were in together. That's bound to bring up some questions and mistrust. Thanks for the help moron, _Casey thought with a smile. Today might be the best day ever. He felt almost like a child on Christmas Eve.

* * *

**Orange Orange, the Next Morning**

Sarah was setting up shop in the Orange Orange. Chuck was off for the next two days, so it would be no issue for him to keep an eye on their guest while Sarah maintained the cover business. She never had customers this early, but it was important that anyone that walked by was able to see that she was indeed _at_ work.

Wiping off the counter for the fourth time that morning (seriously, what else was she going to do?) Sarah heard the bells on the front door chime. _Probably the deli owner Lou again, _she thought. Lou would come by early in the morning occasionally to buy some plain lime yogurt. She claimed it was good for cleansing her pallet on days she had to test out new product.

Looking up to great the short perky sandwich maker though, Sarah was shocked to see a different head of brown hair greet her.

"Hi Ellie!" Sarah greeted her boyfriend's sister. Despite the surprise, she was genuinely happy to see Chuck's sister. Early on in this assignment, Sarah was very uncomfortable around Ellie. The young doctor had always been kind and supporting of her, but Sarah was uneasy with the dishonesty the job had forced her to show the other woman. Since Sarah and Chuck had become actually involved though, Sarah felt much better around Ellie. There was no guilt now when the doctor would dote over her and her relationship with Chuck.

"Sarah," Ellie began in a serious tone. "I think there are some things we need to talk about."

Sarah was afraid she knew what this was about. Ellie was worried about how Chuck would react to the news about Bryce and Jill. She had a cover all prepared for her. _Chuck was completely fine with the news. He is so over those two. We have each other now, and everything is fine. _She ran the story over, and over in her head to make sure she had it down. What she didn't expect was what came out of Ellie's mouth next.

"I don't know what you've gotten my brother involved in Sarah Walker, but if he gets hurt…" Ellie stated with a deadly serious stare cutting through Sarah like a knife.

"Ellie, I don't know what-"

"Save it Sarah. I know more than you think. If you hurt my brother, I don't care to whom you have connections, I will track you down, and destroy you." The pure hatred seething off of the young doctor took Sarah aback. She'd never seen this side of Ellie. Sarah knew that she was protective of her brother, but until now, Ellie's ire had never been cast on the blond spy.

Deciding honesty (or as much as she was allowed to impart) was the best policy here, Sarah made sure she had Ellie's undivided attention before replying. "Ellie, I don't know what you think you know, but let me promise you one thing; I would never do _anything_ to hurt Chuck. Nor would I allow anyone else to hurt him. He is the most important thing in my world. I love him more than you could ever imagine."

Ellie was still uneasy about the situation, but the young blonde's tone left no room for argument. She decided that further questions could wait for a later date. "I just wanted you to know where I stand Sarah. I love you with my brother. That said, I don't want there to be any confusion about where my loyalty lies."

As Ellie stood to leave the yogurt shop, all Sarah could manage was a weak "See you later Ellie." Chuck's sister gave a small wave to the other woman on her way out of the door.

Sarah sat in stunned silence for the next ten minutes. She didn't know where this sudden outburst had come from, but she was almost positive Jill had something to do with this. That woman always had something to do with the bad things in Chuck's life.

The bells on the door chimed again, finally breaking Sarah from her reverie. John Casey stood before her with a smirk on his face. He walked over to the table Agent Walker still sat at propping his elbows on the table and leaning his chin down into his open hands.

"So, how was the swingers' party last night?" Casey could barely contain his glee at the opportunity to incite his partner.

"As if you weren't watching the video all night Casey," Sarah said with a huff.

Casey leaned back in the chair, beginning a hardy laugh. In his amusement though, his hand grazed something strange under the table. Quickly reaching under the table, he retrieved…

"A bug," he whispered to the agent across from him. Casey took off immediately for the freezer. Bartowski would be able to give them some intel on the equipment, and he could enclose the device in a soundproof container.

* * *

**Buy More Plaza Parking Lot**

Ellie Bartowski Woodcomb listened intently to the device she had purchased from the spy shop in the complex. For almost ten minutes no sound had come forth. _Maybe I didn't put it in right_, Ellie worried. _Or maybe Sarah Walker is too shocked that I figured out her secret. _The latter thought brought Ellie much more happiness than the former.

Then the silence was broken by the sound of the door to the shop opening. She had intentionally parked out of view of the Orange Orange, so Ellie couldn't tell who it was yet, but she was sure she would recognize the voice.

The voice that came through the speakers of the device was unmistakable. It was John Casey again.

"_So, how was the swingers' party last night?"_

_How was the what? _Ellie thought.

"_As if you weren't watching the video all night Casey."_

_That was Sarah all right. Wait. Swingers' Party? Ew, Ew, Ew! _Ellie quickly cut the listening device off, wanting to hear no more. She swiftly stepped from her car and deposited the device in the nearest waste receptacle. _What have you gotten yourself into little brother? _

Then another thought occurred to Ellie. Maybe Chuck didn't know what was going on. Maybe this was Sarah's thing. Well, Ellie Bartowski Woodcomb had an obligation to inform her brother of what was really going on with Sarah. She only hoped it didn't crush Chuck too much.

* * *

**Castle Base, Main Room**

Chuck hadn't flashed on the bug that Casey showed him. He did, however, identify it as a cheap unit available at the spy shop in the Buy More Plaza. Upon reviewing video from that morning, they had confirmed that Ellie had been the one to plant the device under the table during her conversation with Sarah. The five spies were all discussing the best possible way to deal with the new complications when the screen in the front of the room flickered to life revealing General Beckman.

"_Good morning agents. I trust that you are all ready for your next mission." _

"Of course General," Major John Casey spoke up.

"_Good. Tonight there is a fund raiser for a veteran's relief fund at the Nobu in West Hollywood. We believe this fund to be a cover for a Fulcrum operation. From what we have gleaned from our sources, four of Fulcrum's lead council will be there, including the elusive Mr. Adams who has proven to be such a burden in the past. Agent Roberts, since you are not yet cleared for field activity, you will stay in Castle and provide intel via video feeds. Agent Casey, you will monitor the feeds from a van outside of the event. In the event that that contact is lost, you will have a tactical team at your disposal. You would then need to infiltrate the party and extract the other members of the team. Agent Walker, you and Agent Larkin will attend the event as a couple. I trust that you remember how that works." _

At her last statement, Beckman cast a disapproving gaze towards the two agents.

"General, what are my orders?" Chuck felt left out. It reminded him all too much of his time as "just an asset."

"_Agent Bartowski, you will use your…skill…to assist Agent Roberts in monitoring the event through video feeds in Castle. If there's nothing else, you all have your orders."_

John Casey could not have been happier if Ronald Regan returned from the dead and personally removed Barrack Obama from the White House and named himself President again. He excused himself quickly from the two couples' presence and quickly returned to the Buy More. He would get to see this action unfold later on the surveillance.

The four other agents sat in stunned silence in Castle. Each was casting uneasy eyes around the room. Tonight would be very interesting.

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_**A/N: **__Oh no! What's going to happen now? Jealousy much? Oh yeah, you know it. But at least Ellie has been led away from the truth. How will the team handle what she believes is really going on though? How much will Casey revel in the fact that she believes what she does? _

_Thanks again for reading, and as always, I absolutely L-O-V-E reviews. They are like a drug, and you guys are my dealers. Please don't make me go into withdraws. I've heard they can be quite painful. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I look forward to hearing from you. Peace._


	9. Molly's Lips

_**Summary: **How will the couples handle being split for the next mission? What will Ellie do about her "discovery?" How will Casey needle his partners now? All this and more in **chapter 9** of **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah: Molly's Lips.**_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Chuck. I own a pair of Chuck Taylor's, but I don't think that counts.  
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_**A/N: **Thank you again for everyone who took time to read and review chapter 8, or any chapter for that matter. I know I seem to be moving really fast with this story, and I hope it's not turning anyone off that the updates come as fast as they do. I sent this to a friend (not a fellow author here) to proof read, but when he sent it back, I couldn't really see any changes he made, so this may or may not be corrected. Still assume that all errors are my own. I've really enjoyed writing this piece so far, and I am glad to know that others have enjoyed reading it. I hope that you will continue to read, and you will continue to enjoy it. Also, I hope that you wont kill me after this chapter because..._

_**Shipper Warning: **There is a cringe worth moment somewhere within this chapter. Please don't hate me. I promised Bryce/Jill, and Chuck/Sarah. Never did I invert those duos in any way. So I ask that you stay with me shippers. It is always darkest before the dawn, and all that stuff. Plus, I usually update really quickly, so you won't really have to wait long to see what happens. Thank you for reading again._

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**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange**

Chuck, Sarah, Bryce, and Jill all sat in an uncomfortable silence. Although Chuck and Sarah had felt sympathetic, and shown support for their respective ex's with their earlier advisements, neither was thrilled with the prospect of having their current significant other alone with _their_ ex.

Chuck had grown to like Bryce again. It had not been an easy road. One of the major things that had been working against Bryce's forgiveness had been his history with Sarah. Before Chuck and Sarah had been a "real" couple, Bryce's presence always seemed to bring out a different side of Sarah. It brought out a side of Sarah that was disinterested, and closed off towards Chuck. He didn't know what kind of power Bryce had held over his girlfriend, but he was quite positive he didn't wish to see that Sarah return.

Sarah didn't trust Jill. Truthfully she had no reason to. Jill had been a long time Fulcrum operative. She had ties deep within the organization, and no doubt still knew people in power inside. That was not to mention the things she had done to Chuck in the past. Chuck –who was the sweetest, most kind hearted man Sarah had ever known- certainly didn't deserve what that woman had done to him. But good, loyal Chuck had pined over his ex for five years after their breakup. Then one day, she returned, and Chuck dropped everything. It had become like Sarah didn't even exist. Even when it turned out that Jill was a Fulcrum agent and had been manipulating Chuck all along, he had still tried to protect her. Sarah didn't know what kind of spell that woman had cast on her boyfriend, but she was quite positive she didn't want to see _Jill's_ Chuck return.

Bryce considered Chuck his only real friend in the world. He would literally trust Chuck with his life. But this was different. Bryce and Jill were just starting to realize their feelings for one another. Now Jill was being placed in a small area for an extended period of time with a man that she had admitted to him only about two months ago to still love "in a way" as she had put it. Chuck or not, that situation made Bryce very uncomfortable. He knew Chuck loved Sarah. And for all Bryce could tell, his friend's feelings were shared. But Chuck and Jill had a very long history. If they saw something happen on the mission that they didn't approve of, what was stopping them from rekindling the old flame? Back through their Stanford days, Jill and Chuck had shared a special chemistry. Bryce didn't know what that chemistry was rooted in, but he was quite positive he didn't want to see the "I'm crazy for Chuck Bartowski" Jill return.

Jill didn't understand the nature of Bryce and Sarah's past. They had been partners, and lovers, but Jill didn't know how deep their feelings had gone. She knew how she felt about Bryce, and she'd hoped he had been coming around too. Tonight, however, Bryce would be gallivanting around some fancy sushi party with the gorgeous blond by his side. As much as she had come to trust Bryce, she most certainly didn't trust Sarah. That woman already had Chuck, and Jill's opinion of Sarah was that she would want Bryce too. Bryce was supposed to be _her_ partner. When he was reunited on a mission with Walker, would he try to recreate what _they _had once had together? Jill wasn't sure what Sarah and Bryce had once meant to one another, but she was quite positive she never wanted to meet _that_ Bryce.

Finally, unable to take the accusing stares and eerie silence anymore, Chuck spoke. "So…I suppose we should begin planning for tonight."

A light mumble of agreement came from the other three parties. Sarah opened the package that contained the intel and other vital documents for the mission. She removed two invitations from the package. "Well, looks like we'll be attending as the Duphranes." She pulled the two wedding bands from the package and looked back to Bryce. "Here, put this on," she said, tossing him his ring. "Alright, this should be a straightforward mission. We go in; you guys let us know where the danger is. Chuck, you let us know who the important Fulcrum people are. Jill," even in her most professional, detached mode, Sarah couldn't keep the venom from her voice when saying the name of the brunette. "Jill, any information you have about anything, would be of help."

"Shouldn't be a problem Sarah." The blonde's harsh tone towards Jill had been returned in full. "Considering I have gone to this event at least five times, I'm quite sure I know how it works. Do you have a seating chart?"

"We have the seating chart right here." The two women were now quite oblivious to the male presence in the room, intent on the back and forth in which they were now engaged.

"Good. When you arrive, there will be a brief period during which you'll be expected to socialize. This will not be the time to make your move. You should try to avoid all Fulcrum players during the early going. Make sure you get good visual of them, and we will identify them for you so that when the time comes, you can get them and get out swiftly. Next you'll have to endure a number of boring speeches and self congratulatory prattle. This is also when your plates will be served. Enjoy the food. Nobu is probably the best sushi option in the United States. I've always been partial to the New York branch but-"

Sarah, wanting to break up Jill's self glorifying spiel broke in. "Get to the point Jill. When should we try to make the move?"

Jill fixed the other woman with a hard stare. "As I was going to say," Jill's eyes boring into Sarah, she had a particularly harsh edge to her voice now. "While dinner is being served, the Saki will also flow quite freely." Looking at Sarah, Jill couldn't help but try to take a shot at her at this point. "You'll want to avoid that Blondie. I know it may be difficult for you to stay professional, but tonight your life and the life of _my_ partner depend on you staying on top of your game."

Bryce and Chuck had grown increasingly uncomfortable as their respective partners continued to go at one another, however they'd both known better than to interrupt. To intrude on this battle would be to go into the battle. Neither wanted the two female spies that knew so much about both of them to set in on their shortcomings. So Bryce and Chuck had made a silent agreement to let this play out before adding anything of their own to the conversation.

"Oh, I'll stay professional." Now Sarah saw a chance to get in a verbal blow of her own. "I wouldn't want to blurt out any intimate details in the middle of a crowded room in the heat of the moment!"

Jill's face turned red at Sarah's recall of the brunette's slip the night before. Seething with anger, Jill turned and stormed out of the room.

Sarah turned to face her boyfriend, a look of rage still cast over her otherwise beautiful visage. "Thanks for the help Chuck. Way to stick up for me _sweetie_." It was quite possibly the most threatening term of endearment that Chuck had ever heard uttered. Not receiving an answer from the curly headed man, Sarah huffed and stomped out of the room in the opposite direction than Jill had left.

"Huh, guess we were screwed either way then," Bryce said looking at his friend.

"Uh…yep," was the only reply Chuck had.

"So, it was close but who's do you think was bigger?" Chuck laughed at the other man's quip. Bryce's face then took on a more serious tinge. "So, Chuck, while I'm great at first impressions…I'm not so great at the relationship stuff. What am I supposed to do here?"

Chuck was floored that his old college buddy was coming to him for advice. It had almost always been the other way around. Thinking on the situation, Chuck came up with an answer for Bryce. "You should go talk to her. Tell her how much help her intel was. Tell her Sarah was out of line, and apologize for not stepping in to defend her. Jill hasn't blamed you yet, so taking the blame upon yourself will defuse that before it happens. Also, you should let her know that tonight is just work, and you will miss her being out in the field with you during this mission."

"You think that will work?" Bryce looked at Chuck who merely nodded in response. "So you're going to talk to Sarah and tell her basically the same thing?"

"No," Chuck said very quickly. "Sarah is mad at me as well as Jill right now. I'm going to let her clam down. She'll blow off some steam cleaning her weapons and planning the ritualistic deaths of Jill and myself. Then when she's gotten past her anger, I'll talk to her and let her know that everything is going to be alright."

"How the hell did you get so good at this stuff Chuck?" Bryce was genuinely impressed by his friends seeming relationship IQ.

"Well, Bryce…" Chuck knew this would be a great time to break the mood. "When you're a computer nerd who's knowledge of self defense is about a '1' on a scale of '1' to '10', and you happen to be dating an extremely dangerous trained assassin, you pick up on these things quickly." Bryce and Chuck shared a laugh as they prepared to put Chuck's plan of making the women of the team feel better into play.

* * *

**Ellie and Awesome's House**

Devon was worried about his wife. From the moment that he'd come to the conclusion that Chuck was far more than what he seemed, Devon had been told that he was under no circumstance to let Ellie in on the secret. _It was for her own safety_ he'd been told. Now, she was dangerously close to learning about the secret life of Chuck and Sarah on her own. Not only would that drag Ellie into danger, but she would be livid with her husband for not reading her into the real situation. _I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. Not awesome._

Ellie walked in the door with a haunted expression on her face. _Dammit, she knows, _Devon thought.

Ellie looked up at her wheelchair bound spouse through troubled eyes. "I found out what Sarah's up to." Her voice sounded troubled and weak.

"Uh…what did you find out babe?" Devon was terrified of Ellie's answer.

"Sarah is a…" Ellie struggled to find the right words. "She appears to be…I think…" Ellie still couldn't bring herself to say what she'd found out.

"What is it El, you can tell me." Devon had used his most comforting tone.

"Sarah is running a swingers club! It's at the Orange Orange, and people go there, and they…they do stuff to one another. It's so gross Devon. I so hope that Chuck isn't involved. But at the same time, I don't want her to be doing something like that behind his back. I don't know what to think. I'm going to call Chuck." After her admission to her "discovery" Ellie quickly left the room to call her brother.

"El wait, it's probably not what you think!" Devon was quietly relieved that his bride had not found out the real truth. He was really worried, however, about what would be said during the phone call she was about to make.

* * *

**Nobu, West Hollywood**

Bryce and Sarah were making their way around the room as had been instructed to them by Jill. So far, Chuck had been able to flash and identify seven high ranking Fulcrum members, three of the four lead council members that were supposed to be present, and ten major financial contributors to the Fulcrum cause.

A man that identified himself as the president of the fund the dinner was supposed to be for had taken the stage. Chuck immediately identified him as the lead financial consultant for Fulcrum. He welcomed everyone to the event, thanked them for coming, and asked that they return to their seats, where dinner would be served.

"_So we have twenty-one, or possibly twenty-two if Ken Adams shows up, major factors in Fulcrum operations in the room with you. I've notified Agent Casey of the plans for the takedown. His team is on the ready at your signal." _Chuck's voice was the definition of professional as he spoke to the two agents inside the event through their ear-pieces.

Sarah was so proud of her boyfriend. He had become so much better at this over the past two plus years. Then she thought back to the innocent, sweet guy she met at the Buy More and wondered if that was a good thing or not. Deciding that now was certainly not the time for such pondering; she returned her focus to the mission at hand.

Bryce had struck up a conversation with the other man at their table. The couple they'd been seated with seemed nice enough, if a bit naive. They had no Fulcrum affiliation, but were very committed to this charity. They were both bankers. _It's weird to meet two honest to God bankers, _Bryce had thought upon learning that particular bit of information.

"Mr. Duphrane, you and your lovely wife Jillian _will_ be joining us at the after party won't you? We've reserved the cabana area at the Four Seasons, and there are rooms for everyone here. I haven't seen you at the event before, but you should know that anyone that comes here is certain to be there. It's a great chance for networking, and more just a great chance to relax." The banker appraised the couple while waiting for their reply.

When Sarah had announced that she would be calling herself Jillian tonight, Jill had nearly attacked her. Instead, she quickly supplied that Bryce would be known as _Charles _Duphrane. This drew Sarah's ire.

Upon hearing the invitation to the after party, Jill felt a deep conflict inside herself. On one hand, she definitely didn't want Sarah spending anymore time with _her _Bryce. On the other hand, although they'd been unable to identify Ken Adams at the current function, he would certainly be at the after party. Jill had forgotten to mention the famed after party in the pre-mission planning, but it would be the perfect opportunity for the take down. With everyone from the event attending the party, and the couple that set up the reservations at the hotel unaware of the need for anonymity amongst the Fulcrum sect, it would be quite easy to find their rooms and remove them. And anyone leaving would easily be picked up by Casey and his team.

Jill knew that this was a time to show that she could be professional. If the powers that be saw that she was able to act in the interest of the mission despite her personal feelings, they just may be more inclined to allow her and Bryce to have their space to explore their feelings.

"_You have to go to the party Bryce. It is the prefect place to make the bust, and you will be able to allow for much more backup should things get hairy." _Jill was proud of herself for her professionalism as she passed along the information to the team at the fund raiser.

"Why of course we'll go, won't we honey?" Sarah turned the sweetest look in her arsenal to her fake husband for the night. Jill seethed at seeing Sarah look at Bryce like that, but bit her tongue…for now.

"I don't see how we could decline," Bryce replied suavely. _Damn that smooth-talking Bryce. No voice cracks or nervousness of any kind. Why the hell is Sarah with me when she could have someone like Bryce? _Chuck depressed himself with his line of thought.

"_Casey, you get all of that? You'll follow to the hotel right?" _Chuck didn't hear an immediate response to his query. Little did he know that Casey was quite busy watching the surveillance from the disastrous mission planning session earlier in Castle that he'd loaded onto his iPod. _"Casey!" _

"What Bartowski? What the hell?" Casey growled.

"_I said you heard the plan right? The bust goes down at the after party at the Four Seasons." _Chuck was upset that he'd had to clarify for the veteran agent.

"Yeah, yeah Chuckles, I got it." _Damn that kid and his interruptions. He may be uncoordinated as all get out, but some of us can actually do more than one thing at a time._

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**Ellie's Kitchen**

Ellie picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she got to her brother. She clicked on his name and waited for the answer.

"_This is Chuck." Dammit, _Chuck thought_. We haven't even come up with what we're supposed to tell Ellie yet. I'll just have to improvise._

"Chuck, hi. Listen, I was talking to Sarah today, and I saw some things…and heard some things. Chuck, is everything going alright between you two?" Ellie sounded very concerned for her brother.

"_El, I promise, everything is just fine."_

"_Alright, we have the list; you guys will be in room 823. If you have the chance, double team anyone you recognize from the party." _Jill's voice could be heard through Chuck's phone.

"Chuck, who was that?" Ellie asked.

"_El, that was…no one..it-"_

Recognition of her former patient and mortal enemy's voice washed over Ellie. "That was Jill! What the hell are you doing with Jill, Chuck? Where's Sarah?" Ellie demanded an answer from her brother.

"_Ellie, Sarah's not here right now. Umm…that wasn't Jill. It is just a friend of Sarah's. She's in town for a few days. We um…"_

"Stop it Chuck! Stop all the damn lies! I know what you're up to! You and I are going to have a long discussion about this face to face. Oh, and bring Sarah with you. I have a promise to keep to her." And with that, Ellie ended the call and slammed her phone down on the table.

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**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange**

The action at the restaurant had slowed to a crawl. There had been a string of veterans coming up to tell their stories of how the fund had helped them. Most of the men had been Fulcrum operatives themselves.

Watching the monitors of the tenth consecutive boring speech, Jill caught Chuck about to nod off. She decided it was a good time to ask a pressing question she'd been withholding.

"Chuck? Are you worried about Sarah…being alone in a room all night with Bryce?" Jill's tone was worried, but not nearly as malicious as when she usually spoke of Sarah. She was proud of herself that she'd been able to control the hatred of the other woman enough to speak of her civilly. Chuck wouldn't appreciate the usual disgust Jill showed towards his girlfriend.

"No Jill." Chuck looked over to the brunette to continue. "They're there to do a job. Sarah is nothing if not professional. Trust me, both of the people in question would much rather be in that room with us." Chuck contemplated how what he'd just said had sounded. "Well, not both of them with both of us. That would be awkward. I meant Sarah with me and…well…you know." Chuck was now blushing from his verbal slip.

Jill gave a slight giggle at her ex's awkwardness. "I suppose you're right. Loving someone in this business is crazy hard isn't it?"

Chuck was surprised to hear Jill be so forward with her line of questioning. She'd admitted to being in love with Bryce, but even that she had never intended to do.

"Yeah Jill, it is. But you know how lonely this world is. Despite how hard it is, it is totally worth it in the end." Chuck had a question of his own that he'd wanted to ask Jill. "Jill, if you don't mind…why do you dislike Sarah so much?"

Jill looked down at the table as if the answer could be found there. Unable to meet Chuck's gaze, she began her answer. "Chuck, I realize that you and I are a thing of the past. You have found someone to love, that you believe loves you back, and I am happy for you. That doesn't change the fact that I still feel like she stole you from me. And I'm happy with what I have growing with Bryce, and honestly, I don't think you and I really work…but…you were mine first. That feeling of resentment never really goes away."

"I think I understand. But what do you mean when you say 'believes loves you back?'" Despite his training, Chuck still had moments of insecurity. He was especially insecure when it came to Sarah's feelings for him. Jill's choice of words had unnerved him.

"Relax Chuck." Jill placed a hand on his shoulder and looked in his eye to convey her sincerity. "I just meant that I don't really know her, so I can't know what's in her heart. I'm sure she loves you. Who wouldn't love you?"

_Who wouldn't love you?_ Those words were ringing in his ears as he continued to stare into Jill's deep brown orbs. _Does she mean? No, she's in love with Bryce. She said so herself. But there's something there in her eyes. Wait, what are you doing Chuck? This is a bad idea!_

His conscience screamed at him to stop. He wasn't listening. Chuck and Jill slowly leaned towards one another, closing their eyes.

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**_A/N: _**_Alright shippers, you were warned before hand. Don't freak out. Everything will work out in the end...mostly. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read, and if you would take just another moment to review and let me know what you thought of this chapter, and the story in general, I would really be happy. Reviews are the only real payment the authors here revieve for the hours of work we put into these stories. Funny thing is, the reviews make it all very worthwhile. Thanks again. You guys are awesome. Peace._


	10. Oh the Guilt

_**Summary: **What happened with Chuck and Jill? What will be the fallout? Will the team bring down Fulcrum? All this and more in **B&J vs C&S chapter 10: Oh the Guilt**_

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. After chapter 9, there are quite a few people who are quite glad that I don't.  
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_**A/N: **Alright shippers, step back from the ledge. There is a method to my madness. Just bare with me for right now. Just to give forewarning, all the issues will NOT be worked out in this chapter. I understand that you're upset with what I did with Chuck. I just have to ask you to trust me. It will all be awesome in the end. Now that I have the sucking up completed, let me just say thank you to everyone that took time to read and review chapter 9. I enjoyed every piece of feedback I got as always, but to be honest, some of my favorite reviews were the negative one's. I like that you guys let me know what you think. It really helps with what I plan to do with the story. I would like to keep an audience after all. Now this is not going to turn into a big, candy sweet fluff fest (not yet anyway), but you guys kind of let me know where the line needs to be drawn. I only ask that those who were disgruntled with how I last left the characters give me a chance to redeem myself. On the whole, I have been very happy and excited by the response this story has generated. I hope I can continue to keep you guys entertained. So now...I'm turning off my verbal diarrhea so that you can (hopefully) enjoy **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 10: Oh the Guilt.**_

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**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment**

Chuck Bartowski felt guilty. It was not an emotion he was particularly fond of. His guilt was keeping him awake, and he knew if he didn't soon find sleep, he would be in for a very long day tomorrow. If Sarah had just listened to him, he could have gotten everything off of his chest. Of course then he'd be lying on the sofa not sleeping, but at least his heavy conscience wouldn't be the cause of his insomnia.

Chuck thought back on how everything could have gone so wrong.

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**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange, the Previous Night**

_Who wouldn't love you?_ Those words were ringing in his ears as he continued to stare into Jill's deep brown orbs. _Does she mean? No, she's in love with Bryce. She said so herself. But there's something there in her eyes. Wait, what are you doing Chuck? This is a bad idea!_

His conscience screamed at him to stop. He wasn't listening. Chuck and Jill slowly leaned towards one another, closing their eyes.

Jill and Chuck were mere millimeters from one another now. Each felt the familiar sensation of the other's breathe hot on their lips. Just as they were closing the final gap, they heard a voice interrupt.

"_Roberts, Bartowski, be heads up. We're on the move." _

John Casey's proclamation had broken the near moment. _A moment of foolishness, _Chuck thought to himself. Refocusing on the screens in front of them, neither Jill nor Chuck could bare to look at the other, let alone continue their earlier dialogue.

Outside at the cabana, the team was able to capture seventeen of the targets identified at the function earlier in the evening. Two council members, including Ken Adams, two high level Fulcrum officers, and the financial advisor that had spoken earlier remained at large. All five of the remaining targets _were_ at the party, but currently in no position to be taken down.

It was of little consequence. With the rooming information, they would be able to find and capture every one of them later that night.

Jill and Chuck watched on the monitors as Bryce and Sarah entered the hotel. Fulcrum had put blockers up outside the hotel, so all visual was lost. Casey assured the two back at base that it was expected. His onsite team was working to gain control of the hotel's security cameras at the time being. Finally the silence inside Castle was broken. "So what do you think they're doing in that room?" Jill had a concerned tone to her voice. Or maybe it was guilt Jill felt. Chuck couldn't decide.

"Whatever they're doing, I'm guessing it is not nearly as much as you and I were almost doing. You know why? Do you Jill? Because I'm a bad person. That's why. Sarah's off on a mission, trying to take down Fulcrum, and here I am ready to play tonsil hockey with my ex-girlfriend. God I can't believe I'm such an idiot. I-"

"Tonsil hockey, Chuck?" Jill hadn't heard that phrase in many years.

"Well whatever you want to call it Jill. It doesn't change the fact that if Casey hadn't interrupted, I would have kissed you. And you know what? That's not who I am! That's not who I'm supposed to be! I…" this time Chuck cut himself off. "This is what I've become?"

"No Chuck." Jill's voice was soft and sad. "This is not who you've become. It is a part of who you're pretending to be. Look, I don't know what happened to make you want this life. I don't know mostly because you won't tell me. But whatever it was, you're not this life Chuck. You're so much more than that. That's why I always loved you. That is who Sarah fell in love with. If you're not happy with whom you've become, then maybe you should spend some time looking for the real Chuck Bartowski." With her statement finished, Jill turned sharply back around in her chair to face the monitor in front of her.

Chuck didn't say anything, but deep down inside, he knew Jill was exactly right. Ever since the 'incident' Chuck had made it his one goal in life to take down Fulcrum. He had intentionally re-Intersected himself. He had demanded field training. When he found he wasn't any good at the really tough parts of being an agent, he had made a decision to change who he was. He'd thought about what made Casey and Sarah so good at their jobs. He'd done everything to try to emulate them. He'd even tried to act like a gun enthusiast to be more like Casey.

_You may very well take down Fulcrum like this Chuck. But is the price of your soul worth it? Who will want anything to do with you when you have sacrificed the very essence of yourself?_

He had a lot to think on. Despite his guilt over what had almost happened between Jill and him, he owed her a great deal of gratitude. She'd made him look in the mirror for the first time in many months. Now he needed to figure out how to recognize the man that stared back from the reflection again.

* * *

**Outside the Four Seasons, 3:00 AM**

The mission had been an overwhelming success. The team had been able to take down twenty-one of the twenty-two targets that had been identified. The only person to escape had been the now constant thorn in the side of the Fulcrum hunters, Ken Adams. After searching the area for over an hour and a half, the agents decided to call off the search for now. With the resources they had captured, they would be able to gain a wealth of knowledge about where such persons as Adams may be hiding.

In the van on the way back to Castle, Sarah convinced Casey that she deserved a night in her own bed, with her boyfriend. Since he hadn't had to stay with Bryce and Jill yet, and since he was eager to breakdown what might have happened on the footage from Castle that night, Casey agreed.

* * *

**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment**

Chuck had decided on the ride home that he would tell Sarah what had almost happened. He would leave out the part where Casey's interruption was the only thing that had stopped it from happening. It's not like it mattered. Just the thought of doing it -_of kissing Jill_, he amended- was bad enough in his eyes. He only hoped she would forgive him.

When they walked in the door, Sarah immediately stripped off the dress she was wearing and headed towards the bedroom. Chuck followed her at a distance. When he got to their room, Sarah had already climbed under the covers and was looking up at the door.

"Are you coming to bed?"

"What you don't want to shower, or put on some clothes or something." Chuck was very uncomfortable with his girlfriend's state of undress given what he wanted to discuss. Getting your ass kicked by your girlfriend was bad enough. Getting your ass kicked by your practically naked girlfriend would be something that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Chuck, I've had a long night. I'm tired; I'm cranky; and I just want to go to sleep. You and I end up sleeping sans clothes nearly every night anyway. Why should it really matter if I wear anything to bed?"

"It's just…" Chuck paused not wanting to say too much too fast. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Did you not hear the tired and cranky part?" Sarah was growing very exasperated with his reluctance to just come to bed.

"It's important though Sarah!"

"Chuck! Whatever it is, I am sure that it can wait until the morning! Now come to bed, _sweetie_!" Sarah tried her best to not sound threatening (at least with the last part of her statement) but given her state of unrest, and her boyfriend's wasting of this one night of alone time she had wrangled from Casey, it was difficult to say the least. She decided to give up trying to sound nice. "Now you will come to bed RIGHT NOW Charles Irving Bartowski; and you will hold me and let me sleep. You got that?" This was a threatening tone that Sarah rarely used with her boyfriend save the times he decided that lifting the seat to pee was too much of a burden and she got a unpleasant surprise upon her next trip to the bathroom.

"Yes ma'am," Chuck supplied grimly.

So here Chuck was. Sarah was in his arms, sleeping like an angel. _A really deadly, sometimes scary angel, but an angel._ But Chuck couldn't sleep. The longer he lay holding this beautiful woman like there was nothing wrong, the more he ached with guilt.

Finally despite his burdened conscience, Chuck drifted off to sleep. Luckily his exhaustion masked his sins to him as he slept peacefully. He slept peacefully that is until…

Chuck startled awake. _Ice cold water? What the hell? _He looked up to see Sarah facing the bed with a dangerous look on her face and a now empty bucket in her hand.

"You mind explaining this, jackass?"

* * *

**30 Minutes Earlier**

Sarah woke up in her favorite place in the world: in Chuck's arms. She rolled over slightly and kissed her boyfriend on the forehead. It would have suited her to lie there all day, but she still felt quite grimy from last night's mission and really needed a shower. Gently extracting herself from his embrace so as not to disturb his slumber, Sarah slipped out of bed and put on a t-shirt to fight off the early morning chill. Before she made her way to the bathroom, she picked up her iPhone and noticed one new e-mail.

Curious as to who had contacted her during the night, Sarah opened the message. _Huh, what would Casey want? _The e-mail had an attached video, and was described simply _"You must see this!" _The file quickly loaded and was ready to play. _Thank God for 3G connection, _she thought to herself. When the video played, however, any thoughts to her cellular signal diminished. They were all replaced by rage.

* * *

**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange, 4:30 AM**

_Come on Bartowski, give me something. Brush up against her. Or how about just some audio I can splice together to sound inappropriate. _Casey couldn't believe just how boring these two had been throughout their time in Castle.

He was just about to give up his search for something interesting when Chuck and Jill started discussing their "lady feelings." _There's got to be something good enough in here I can make sound bad. _As luck would have it, he didn't even need to do much editing. _"Who wouldn't love you," _Jill's likeness said. Then the two former lovers gazed into one another's eyes. They leaned in. _Thank you Bartowski. I didn't even have to work for this one moron. _Then Casey heard his own voice break Jill and Chuck apart. _Dammit! I screwed myself. _Casey thought on his misfortune for a moment before a positive thought came to mind. _Well, no matter. This will be ample evidence to rile Walker all up. This will be interesting. _After cleaning the video and sound up, and adding some special "John Casey touches" to the file, he sent the video to Sarah in an e-mail. _Well, it was nice knowing you Bartowski._

_

* * *

  
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**Chuck and Sarah's Bedroom**

"You mind explaining this, jackass?" Sarah's voice was filled with rage. Her eyes had taken on a wild expression that Chuck had only seen her show in the heat of combat. More specifically it was the look she reserved for taking a kill shot. Sarah had her most predatory look cast on Chuck for the very first time.

"Sarah I-I don't know-"

"This!" she cut him off. Sarah turned the monitor to Chuck's desktop –to which she had uploaded the video- towards him. She hit play, and Chuck's stomach dropped.

He had completely planned on telling her. She didn't need to find out like this.

"_Who wouldn't love you?" _the onscreen Jill said. Then Chuck watched as they gazed at one another, and began leaning in. Just before Casey's voice would have broken them apart, the video went still. The words "To See the Rest, Be at Castle as 0900" had been dubbed on top of the now frozen image.

"How COULD you?! I trusted you! You're the only one I've ever trusted! And you do this?" Sarah stormed from the room, tears beginning to stream down her face.

Sarah quickly grabbed some clothes she'd left in the living room. Slipping on the thrown together outfit, she continued out of the apartment to her Porsche. She cranked the car up, and promptly sped out of the parking lot. She didn't know where she was going. She only knew that she couldn't stand to look at _him_ right now.

Back inside the apartment, Chuck heard the unmistakable sound of squealing tires as Sarah peeled out of the parking lot. _Dammit. I rode here with her. Casey's already at Castle. I'm stuck. _Although this would have ordinarily only been a small problem, it just seemed to be fuel on the fire that was Chuck's horrible day.

He picked up his phone, and tried to call his girlfriend. The call went straight to voicemail. "Hey, Sarah…look, I tried to tell you last night. It's not what it really looks like. Okay, honestly, it almost was what it looked like. I don't know what to say. I know it was a mistake. I'm so, so sorry. Please call me and let's talk about this. I'm so sorry Sarah. I never…just call me, okay?" He knew he sounded pathetic in the message. He really didn't care about that. Chuck would do anything to make Sarah forgive him.

_I can't believe I screwed this up. Why does everyone I love end up getting hurt because of me?_

_

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_**A/N: **Where would Sarah go? Will Chuck get to explain himself? Is Casey happy with himself (I'm guessing yes)? How will Bryce react to what (almost) happened? All these questions will be adressed. In the next chapter you say? We'll see. I like to spread it around. And there was no Ellie in this chapter, I know, but her storyline will be moving along a little later. You may also notice that this chapter had far less Bryce and Jill than really any chapter so far, as best my memory serves me. That won't become a habbit. This story is still driven by them. I really wanted to start to work on the Charah angst here though. _

_Anyway, thanks for reading everybody. I hope you're siill with me. If you could take a few moments and give me a quick review, I would be ever so appreciative. They really let me know what I need to do with the story moving forward. I have pulled tons of ideas from the reviews I have been sent. Anyway, as always, you guys are the best. Peace.  
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	11. Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

_**Summary: **How will Sarah cope with what happened between Chuck and Jill? Is what happened between Chuck and Jill all that meets the eye? Will someone be pissed at Casey? What's going on with the Ellie situation? All this and more in **Ch. 9: Where Did You Sleep Last Night?**  
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_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. The owners of Chuck are in the Intersect. They're also known to the public as NBC.  
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_**A/N:** Some great reviews for chapter 10. I really like when you guys let me know how you feel about what's going on with the characters, and you certainly didn't disappoint. I think for those of you who were concerned about Casey's actions, you'll see Chuck address that very thing in this chapter. I think you'll start to understand why Chuck did what he did. It may make you hate him less. It may make you hate him more. I don't know. If I was a mind reader, I would be a hell of a lot richer (and who knows, maybe I wouldn't need that disclaimer anymore with that type of money!) I proofread this chapter all on my own, so it may be a mess. If so, 1,000 apologies. I wanted to go ahead and get it out so I could take a nap so, I got a little ahead of sending it to anyone. My bad. Anywho, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and by the way, big props to **cville** for being the first to point out that all the chapters are named for **Nirvana **songs (or songs famously covered by **Nirvana** such as this one). Others of you may have noticed, but you didn't say anything did you? Huh? That's what I thought._

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_**Don't Freak Out:** Okay shippers, you're going to start to freak out early in this chapter. Don't. All is not what it seems. Some of our characters actually can control their hormones. _

_**Now, without further ado, I present Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 11: Where Did You Sleep Last Night?**_

_**

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**_

**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange**

They'd shared a bed almost every night for the better part of six months. Something about her just felt different last night. It was as if she were troubled by something. Bryce would have to ask her about it when she woke up. _Hey, you're getting better at this relationship stuff._

As he lay holding Jill and softly running his fingers through her hair –as though the small action could assuage whatever burden was causing her fitful rest- Bryce heard a familiar buzzing coming from the table beside the twin cots they'd pulled together to make one large bed. He leaned over and kissed Jill gently on the temple. "Be right back," he assured her sleeping form.

Reaching over to identify the early morning caller, he was greeted by the visage of his former partner splayed across his iPhone. Heaving a deep sigh, he stood up and accepted the call.

"Larkin secure."

"_Bryce…"_ Sarah was clearly very emotional about something. _"Oh, this is Sarah secure."_ Although she'd tried to still sound professional, something was clearly bothering her.

"Sarah, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Bryce looked over to make sure he hadn't awoken Jill. He had not.

"_No! I'm not alright!" _The rage was evident in her voice. It was conflicted with something else. Sadness maybe? _"It's Chuck…" _She let her voice trail off.

"Chuck?" Bryce was really concerned now. "Sarah, what happened to Chuck? Is he alright?" If Sarah was this emotional, something terrible had to have happened. Bryce battled with himself to keep thoughts of the worst from his mind.

"_He's fine." _Sarah sniffled into the phone. _"He just…he…" _Sarah couldn't seem to voice what was bothering her. _"Could you meet me in the alley behind the shop in five minutes? I really need someone to talk to." _She paused briefly thinking about the complete ramifications of what had occurred. _"You probably need to hear what happened anyway."_

"Sure Sarah. I'll see you in five." Bryce closed the call, no closer to understanding what was going on than when the phone call began. He slipped into some clothes he had in his bag at the foot of the cot. Turning to Jill, he knew he needed to tell her where he was going. Taking a piece of paper from the pad beside the cot, he scribbled a quick note.

_Jill,_

_Stepped out for a few minutes. Be back before long._

_-B_

Slipping out the back exit to Castle, Bryce saw the black Porsche 911 pull up in front of him. Not waiting on a cue, he opened the passenger door and got in, closing the door behind him. He turned to face a clearly distraught Agent Sarah Walker. Deciding he should give her a minute to get together whatever it was she needed to say, Bryce didn't speak.

Sarah exited the parking lot and headed back towards the highway. Getting on the 5, she quickly accelerated, weaving in and out of traffic. She still, however, had yet to utter a single word. As silence permeated the car, Bryce finally felt the urge to break the quiet discomfort. "Sarah, what's going on?"

Looking over at Bryce -her eyes still red and cheeks stained with tears- Sarah breathed a hardy sigh and began making her way towards the right lane to exit the freeway. Pulling off the 5 and into a service station just past the off ramp, Sarah parked the car. Cutting the engine, she still gripped the steering wheel tightly. She stared down at the floorboards even as she began to speak.

"Casey sent me a video from last night. It was…" Sarah broke down again. Unable to finish explaining, she pulled her phone from her pocket and pulled up the video file. Shoving the phone towards Bryce, she was able to choke out a simple instruction. "Look!"

* * *

**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment**

Chuck really didn't want to see Casey right now. It was going to take every ounce of strength he had not to swing at his former handler. Without Casey though, Chuck was without transportation. He didn't have to work at the Buy More today, but there would certainly be things from the previous night's bust that he would need to go over in Castle. He also held out hope of getting to talk with Sarah about what had happened between Jill and him.

Reluctantly picking up his phone, Chuck called Casey.

"_Bartowski, what do you want?"_

"Casey, Sarah took off without me. I can't get in touch with her. I kind of need a ride." Chuck spoke with a deliberate, albeit defeated tone.

"_What, you don't have your own car?"_ _Despondent Chuck will walk right into this one._

"Casey, you know I still have to drive the Herder." Chuck actually sounded even more depressed now if it was possible.

"_Guess what they say it true then. Cheaters never prosper!"_ Chuck heard Casey laughing hysterically at his own joke. He pulled the phone away from his ear and gave the NSA agent time to finish his laugh at Chuck's expense.

"Alright Casey, you had your laugh. Will you come get me now?"

"_Huh, hell no. That's why they make public transportation moron. You can probably get a bus schedule online or something."_ And with that, Casey disconnected the call.

_Damn Casey and his stupid…What the hell is his problem lately anyway? Snarky has always been a part of the Casey package, but vindictive and cruel is a whole new addition._

Chuck found a bus schedule, but would have to wait over an hour to catch the next route headed towards the Buy More Plaza. Instead, he decided the fare for a cab would be worth not having the long wait. Forty-five minutes later, he stepped out of the cab outside the Orange Orange. Paying the driver, he proceeded towards Castle. John Casey had some explaining to do.

* * *

**Service Station Parking Lot, Inside Sarah's Car**

"Well, I guess we don't really know if they did anything." Bryce was troubled by what he had seen. He didn't know really if he had any right to be upset with Jill. While they were certainly moving towards…something, they hadn't really discussed any type of monogamy. Besides that, they were spies. This is the type of thing people in their line of work did. Maybe he should remind Sarah of that. "And even if they did do anything, does it matter? When you and I were together, we both took lovers outside of our relationship."

"This is different Bryce and you know it! You and I were never in love. I never felt about you how I feel about Chuck. And while we're on the subject; you never looked at me the way I've seen you look at Jill since the two of you have been here." Sarah buried her head on the steering wheel. "Chuck was supposed to be different. He wasn't supposed to be like everyone else in this business. What we have is supposed to be special." Sarah began crying again.

"I mean, come on Sarah, it's not like you guys are married or anything." Bryce was doing his best to comfort his former partner. Comforting was not one of his strong suits.

Looking up at Bryce and trying to stifle her sobs, Sarah began her reply. "We've talked about it. We'd planned to one day…when we get out of this."

"What, get married?!" Bryce was stunned by this admission. "So you two are engaged?"

Sarah thought about what Bryce had asked. "Well, in principle I suppose I would say yes. There is not a standing arrangement or anything. We've talked about both wanting that one day when we both leave this job. When we can behave like a married couple."

"Even married couples cheat Sarah." _Was that the right thing to say at this point?_

"Maybe so, Bryce," Sarah said softly. "But if I get married. If I marry Chuck then I will take it very seriously. The vows that I would share with him would mean more to me than to some people."

"Why?" Bryce couldn't understand how someone who had used sex as a tool to complete a job many times over could view matrimony in the way Sarah seemed to.

"Because I never thought I'd want it. Because the only man that ever made me want that life…because I want to be faithful to Chuck. I always thought he'd be faithful to me." Sarah's eyes began to water again. Morbidly, she began to wonder if she could actually cry herself to death. Right now, it didn't seem like such a bad option.

"So you brought me out here for revenge?" Bryce hadn't intended to put a move on Sarah during his stay this time. That said, he certainly wasn't going to turn down his beautiful ex-lover. Jill had, at least almost, made a go at it with Chuck. It was only fair.

Leaning over towards Sarah, Bryce pulled her face towards his. Sarah instead pushed the other spy away. "No!" she shouted. "I really just brought you here because I needed someone to talk to. I thought you'd be upset about what happened too. Don't you care that Jill may have…been with Chuck last night? She at least probably kissed him!"

Bryce knew that deep down, he was a little miffed at what Jill had done, or almost done, or hell, he didn't know. The fact was that Chuck and Jill had a history. She had been such a breath of fresh air over the past six months, and he couldn't stand the thought of losing her. "No, you're right Sarah. I need to talk with Jill. I need to know what happened. I need to know if she's still invested in 'us'."

"Let's go to Castle." Sarah started the car back up. "I should at least watch the entire video. Maybe there are some answers on that tape."

* * *

**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange**

Chuck marched down the stairs into Castle. He immediately spotted Casey and made a beeline in his direction.

"Good morning sunshine." Casey beamed with pride at how well his plan had worked. The only thing that could have made it better is if Bartowski was sporting a few bruises or a black eye. _I'm actually surprised his manhood is still intact, _Casey thought with a chuckle.

"You!" Chuck was clearly not in the mood for games. "First of all, I do not blame you for Sarah being pissed off at me. I screwed up really bad. I made a stupid mistake. What almost happened here last night was a terrible error in judgment." Chuck was finished beating up on himself for now. He would likely give Sarah much more of his self deprecation, but Casey wouldn't receive another ounce. It was now time to turn on the Casey lambasting.

"But what you did…You intentionally hurt Sarah. You broke guy code. I could let that slide because I _did _screw up, but it's not all you did. You have been riding us for months now. You have taken every opportunity to cause friction between her and me. You have no regard for others, and you have no regard for the team!"

Chuck was pacing back and forth as he spoke. His eyes, however, never left those of John Casey. "Are you this pissed off that you're the only one who's _not_ getting some? Is that why you try to shit on everyone else's parade? Perhaps then, if you didn't act like such a dick to everyone, you could remedy that problem."

He knew he should be angry at the tongue lashing he'd just received from his former asset, but Casey was struck by something else in Chuck's speech. He'd admitted his mistake, but the self pity that had accompanied nearly everything he'd done since the incident was gone. Gone too was the posturing he had made commonplace in nearly everything he'd said since deciding to become an agent. Casey realized that he was being chewed out by the old Chuck Bartowski. Then in spite of himself, John Casey smiled. _It's good to see you again moron._

_

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**Ellie and Awesome's House**

Devon was worried about what Ellie was going to do. She was not even close to finding out the truth about her brother and his cohorts, but he couldn't really tell her that. Knowing his wife, she would pursue what she believed to be the truth to some end. Would she try to force Chuck into counseling? Would she try to force Chuck _and_ Sarah into couple's counseling? Would Ellie try to attack Sarah? All of these were real possibilities, Devon realized. The final of which scared him to no end.

Deciding that it may be best to head off any chance Ellie might surprise the couple with her "discovery" at the pass, Devon dialed Chuck. _Sarah is probably much more dangerous when she's surprised. If I warn her ahead of time, she may be able to show restraint._

"_Awesome! I didn't know you were back in town!"_

"Hey dude. Listen, did Ellie get in contact with you?"

"_Yeah, she did. She was acting really weird and…" _Chuck looked around him before speaking again, now with a whisper. _"She suspects something. We think she may have seen Bryce and Jill enter Castle a few days ago. She tried to bug the Orange Orange, and she threatened Sarah with bodily harm. We don't know what exactly she knows, or thinks she knows."_

"Well, I can help you there." Devon was more than a little upset with Ellie's "spy work" but the fact that she had threatened a trained assassin petrified him. That said if he could let the team in on what was going on from Ellie's end, the situation may be easy to diffuse. "So Ellie overheard some chatter…no doubt Casey making some quip about you, Sarah, Bryce, and Jill having to stay together. Something about swinger's club or something."

Chuck recognized the joke his brother-in-law was referencing. _Just one more example of John Casey being a pain in the ass. "I think I know what you're talking about. Go on."_

"That's it man. She thinks Sarah's running a swinger's club out of the Orange Orange. She thought it was going on behind your back at first, but now she believes you to be involved as well. She still blames Sarah for getting you involved by the way."

"_That's all?"_ Chuck couldn't believe his sister would actually think _that. _Then again, from an outsider's perspective, what exactly were you supposed to think?

"That's it. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

"_Thanks Awesome."_

"Later Bro."

* * *

**Castle Base, Below Orange Orange**

"What was that about?" Chuck didn't want to be civil towards Casey just yet, but the team did need to be informed what his sister was up to.

"So apparently Ellie believes that what's really going on is Sarah is running a swinger's club out of the Orange Orange."

"She thinks what?" Jill entered the room with a look of shock and disgust on her face.

"Where's Bryce?" Chuck asked, not answering Jill's question.

Right on cue, the doors to Castle slid open to reveal Bryce…followed closely by Sarah Walker. The other three looked at the duo questionably.

"Looks like she wasn't too far off," Casey joked. Chuck shot Casey the harshest look he could muster. It was not the only hard stare the NSA agent received for his comment.

"Bryce, where have you been?" Jill was outraged. He had just run off with Walker? What about her? What about his friendship with Chuck. Maybe Bryce wasn't the man she thought he was. Maybe…wait…_does he know about last night? _That thought shook Jill to her core.

"I have been out. Sarah and I had some things we needed to discuss. You and I have some things we need to discuss as well, Jill." Bryce quickly descended the stairs into Castle's main room. He grabbed Jill's hand and pulled her towards the detention cell they were using as a makeshift bedroom.

"Hi Sarah." Chuck sounded as though the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders. It made Sarah sad to see him like that, but she wasn't ready to forgive him. Not yet anyway.

"Chuck, I'm not ready to talk about this. I want to see the entirety of the surveillance from last night first. I want to know exactly what I'm mad about. Casey, pull that up for me." Sarah's tone was not full of rage as it had been earlier. That said it still left no room for argument. Casey not wanting to incur the wrath of his other partner this morning as well quickly did as Sarah had asked.

* * *

**Bryce and Jill's Room**

"So I want to know what happened. I've seen the video. Well, I've seen some of the video. How far did it go, and why did it happen." Bryce's tone was demanding, however, Jill was not about to back down just yet.

"What happened? What, you mean between Chuck and me? I'll tell you. But first, I want to know what the hell you were doing with that blond slut that made you leave me all alone in bed this morning!" _That's right Jill, deflect, deflect, deflect, _she thought to herself.

"Don't try to deflect this." _Damn he got me. _"Sarah was just getting me up to speed on what you and your ex-boyfriend were up to last night. Now! How far did it go? Why did you do it? Do you still want Chuck?"

Jill sighed. She would tell him everything. Maybe Bryce would understand. "We didn't even kiss. He was going to kiss me and we were interrupted by a transmission from Casey. As to why…" Jill suddenly appeared very interested in her shoes. "I was really jealous that _she_ was out in the field with you and I was stuck watching on the monitor. I wanted to prove that I was still better than _her._" Even in pronoun form Jill's references to Sarah seemed toxic. "I played Chuck. I wanted to show her that he would still pick me over her." Jill's shoulders slumped as she finished her confession.

"You did it on purpose?! You intentionally took advantage of someone we both consider to be a friend, who you know to be in a questionable mental state? You jeopardize his happiness? Hell, you jeopardize whatever this is between us? For what Jill?!" Bryce was furious. She had not only put two operations at risk, but she had hurt two people that Bryce still cared about. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, she had hurt him too.

"Bryce, I'm so sorry. I don't…please forgive me! I woul-" She paused, going back over what Bryce had said. Had he made mention of there actually being something between the two of them? It would be the first time either of them had made such a suggestion to the other. "Wait, what do you mean "whatever this is between us" Bryce? Are you suggesting that we may be more than partners…more than lovers?"

"I don't know what we are Jill. I don't know what it is that I've been feeling towards you lately. Right now, I do know. Right now I'm pretty pissed off. We'll talk about this later." Bryce turned and walked out of the room angrily.

_He wants to acknowledge that we are…something. I may have screwed that up. Dammit Jill, why do you have to do this to everyone you love?_

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**Castle Main Room, Below Orange Orange**

Chuck couldn't stand to watch again. Sarah would see everything now. She'd see him weak, needing reassurance from Jill. She'd see Jill say she still loves him. She'd see that the only thing that stopped him from kissing her was an interruption from Casey. Then Sarah would hate him forever. And she had every right to hate him. He had betrayed her. She'd trusted him, and he let her down. He'd ignored her feelings in favor of Jill. _Again._

What Chuck didn't see was what Sarah's trained eye picked up from the video. She saw Jill plant a seed of doubt as to what may be happening between Sarah and Bryce. She saw Jill stroke that doubt. She saw Jill plant a seed of doubt about Sarah's very feelings for Chuck. Then she saw Jill assure him that whether or not his girlfriend loved him –something she said she couldn't tell for sure- that _Jill_ would always love him.

Jill had played Chuck. _That brunette skank played MY Chuck. _"Chuck," Sarah beckoned him.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I-"

"Chuck...shhh," Sarah tried to stop his panic.

"No, Sarah, let me say this. I don't know what's happened to me, but that person on that video is _not_ me. The person who has been around here the last five months is not me. I have to find myself again Sarah. If you can ever come to forgive me…I could use your help. Nobody knows Chuck Bartowski better than Sarah Walker. Not even me." He gave Sarah a sad smile and turned to talk away to let her think on what to do next.

"Chuck wait!" Sarah called after her boyfriend. Just then Bryce strode through the main room of Castle…closely followed by a call of his own. "Bryce wait!" Jill appeared out of the hallway trailing after her partner.

Sarah's attention was immediately taken away from Chuck to the woman who'd just come into the room.

"You bitch!"

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_**A/N: **Cat fight! Or trained assassins who happen to be of the female persuasion fight! We'll go with whichever you prefer. Now the team knows Ellie's thoughts, so how will they react? Will Bryce forgive Jill? Fulcrum lead council Ken Adams is still on the loose. Will the team ever catch him? So many questions are yet to be answered._

_Thank you again to all my readers. You guys have definitely made writing this story a pleasurable experience. I hope I continue to keep you entertained, and I hope you continue to give me awesome feedback. I've really appreciated the response I've gotten so far. Oh, and I'll give a plug in the A/N of chapter 12 to whoever can tell me where the name **Ken Adams **is from. I guess that about wraps it up. Until next time, you guys are great. Peace.  
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	12. Clean Up Before She Comes

_**Summary: **It's go time for Sarah and Jill. What will be the fallout of the confrontation? What snarky remark will Casey have for them? Who wins the betting pool? All this and much more in **ch. 12- Clean Up Before She Comes.**  
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_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. If I did own Chuck we wouldn't have had to wait 33 episodes for (in best promo announcer voice) "Oh and this."  
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_**A/N: **Thank you again to all my fabulous readers, and a big ups to those of you who review. You guys bring me back to the keyboard everyday. Some days it's difficult to get motivated, but I simply read through all the awesome comments you guys leave and it makes me want to write. I want to apologize for being a little later in the day with this update. I've only slept about 6 hours in the past 3 days and it finally caught up with me today and I had to go pass out for a little while. Then Chuck started, and you know with the Jill thing, I kind of had to watch. So I guess this is VERY AU now. Oh well. I was happy to see canon Jill get he redemption. I've always known there was more to that character than we got to see in the original arc. I proofread this myself again. I wanted to make sure I got it out before midnight (I can still claim publishing something everyday since I began writing). And...I believe that's about all. Thank you all for reading as always, and I treasure your feedback. Now enjoy **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 12: Clean Up Before She Comes.**_

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**Castle Main Room, Below Orange Orange**

Chuck couldn't stand to watch again. Sarah would see everything now. She'd see him weak, needing reassurance from Jill. She'd see Jill say she still loves him. She'd see that the only thing that stopped him from kissing her was an interruption from Casey. Then Sarah would hate him forever. And she had every right to hate him. He had betrayed her. She'd trusted him, and he let her down. He'd ignored her feelings in favor of Jill. _Again._

What Chuck didn't see was what Sarah's trained eye picked up from the video. She saw Jill plant a seed of doubt as to what may be happening between Sarah and Bryce. She saw Jill stroke that doubt. She saw Jill plant a seed of doubt about Sarah's very feelings for Chuck. Then she saw Jill assure him that whether or not his girlfriend loved him –something she said she couldn't tell for sure- that _Jill_ would always love him.

Jill had played Chuck. _That brunette skank played MY Chuck. _"Chuck," Sarah beckoned him.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I-"

"Chuck...shhh," Sarah tried to stop his panic.

"No, Sarah, let me say this. I don't know what's happened to me, but that person on that video is _not_ me. The person who has been around here the last five months is not me. I have to find myself again Sarah. If you can ever come to forgive me…I could use your help. Nobody knows Chuck Bartowski better than Sarah Walker. Not even me." He gave Sarah a sad smile and turned to talk away to let her think on what to do next.

"Chuck wait!" Sarah called after her boyfriend. Just then Bryce strode through the main room of Castle…closely followed by a call of his own. "Bryce wait!" Jill appeared out of the hallway trailing after her partner.

Sarah's attention was immediately taken away from Chuck to the woman who'd just come into the room.

"You bitch!"

Three pairs of male ears perked up at the blonde's declaration. They looked over to where Sarah had stood just moments before, but instead, only saw a Sarah like blur streak across the room towards Jill.

Sarah grabbed Jill and slammed her against the wall. Staring into the eyes of the shorter woman, Sarah spoke with a very dangerous tone. "Jill, if you ever touch…no…if you ever _look_ at my boyfriend the wrong way again, I will finish what Fulcrum started on you last week. In fact, you will beg to be returned to their custody when-"

"Save it bitch!" Jill's tone had its own edge. Breaking her glare momentarily, Jill then spat in Sarah's face.

Taking a moment to comprehend what had just happened; Sarah went into a fit of rage. She swung wildly at Jill. Easily avoiding the wild punch, Jill ducked under the attempt, taking position behind the blond. She slammed her face first into the wall. Jill grabbed the golden tresses of the taller woman and began to pull her backwards.

Sarah twisted to her left, using her right arm to break Jill's hold on her hair. Using the other woman's now backwards momentum against her, Sarah pounced on Jill, taking her to the ground. She managed to land a few blows to the other woman's face before Jill was able to catch her arm and turn her over. The brunette then began a pounding of her own. Sarah wrapped her calves around Jill's body and using her substantial leg strength, managed to flip the other woman from atop her.

Jill landed with a thud a few feet away from Sarah. Both women stood to their feet and began circling one another. They both rushed forward at once. Locking in on hair, clothes, limbs, or anything else they could grab, they went at one another ruthlessly. The two women had begun to lose all form and fought with pure desperation.

Finally broken from their stupor at seeing all of this unfold in front of them, the three men charged at the two tussling agents. They began trying in vain to pull the women apart.

Just then, the main screen flickered to life revealing General Beckman. The General was shocked at the sight she saw before her. Two of her agents appeared to be trying to tear one another apart. She cleared her throat to try to gain the attention of the room. It didn't work.

"Agents that will be enough!" The shout from the feed halted all motion as the five agents scurried to take position. "Agent Walker, Agent Roberts, what is the meaning of this?" Beckman demanded.

The agents merely looked down, refusing to meet the penetrating gaze of their superior.

"I apologize ma'am." Sarah was the first to speak.

"As do I ma'am," Jill added.

The General rolled her eyes. "While I appreciate your willingness to take responsibility for your actions, I have still not been told what exactly happened to cause this."

"Well Gen-"

"Not you Agent Walker." Beckman looked over to the men of the group. "Agent Bartowski, I trust that I can get a straight answer from you."

"Y-yes General, ma'am." Chuck swallowed nervously. "Ma'am, from my viewpoint, from what I know…umm…Agent Walker was upset by something Agent Roberts…umm…did and decided to confront her about it." He looked over to Sarah and mouthed the word 'sorry.' "I don't know what incited Agent Walker, ma'am."

"I can help with that ma'am." Bryce stepped forward as he spoke.

"Yes Agent Larkin?"

"Ma'am, Agent Roberts attempted to seduce Agent Bartowski. Agent Walker felt as though Jill was taking advantage of Chuck in a weakened state. Sarah was defending her teammate ma'am."

Beckman sighed. "That is all well and good Agent Larkin, but from everything I've heard, there is blame to be cast on both parties here. Major Casey, would you agree with my assessment?"

"Yes ma'am." Casey didn't like going against his longtime partner, but in this case he felt she was at least partially in the wrong. "Both agents acted unprofessionally in some sense."

"Thank you Major. I agree." Beckman looked back to the two females of the group. "Agent Roberts, as you know, you have been medically cleared for field work as of three days from now. However, you will not be cleared for field work from this office at that point. Agent Walker, you will be joining Agent Roberts in Castle during missions for the next two weeks. I am afraid you have both been benched."

"General-" Sarah's impassioned plea was cut off.

"Agent Walker, for behavior such as both you and Agent Roberts have exhibited today, I would normally be much stiffer with repercussions. Fortunately for both of you, you have made yourselves vital pieces in the war against Fulcrum. Therefore benching is the only disciplinary action that I am able to take at this juncture."

"Yes ma'am," both female agents spoke in unison.

"Very well. Now, many of the missions I assign to you, as you know, may require a female agent. Therefore, I will be temporarily assigning another agent to your team. Despite any disappointment that I may have right now in all of you, I cannot afford to handicap my two most effective units against Fulcrum. Any questions?"

"Umm…General, do we know this agent?" Chuck's voice sounded worried.

"Yes." And with this curt answer, General Beckman disconnected the transmission.

The two women agents stormed out of the room simultaneously.

"Should we go after them?" Bryce turned to Chuck. He had come to depend on his friend on matters of relationship advice.

"Not just yet. Especially after neither of us defended _them_ but their counterpart." Bryce nodded in recognition.

"So, who do you think this new team member is?" Bryce wasn't sure who the group may have worked with in the past.

"If I had to guess, I would say either Carina, or whatever she's calling herself now, from the DEA, or Alex Forrest." Neither option sounded terrific to Chuck.

"Agent Forrest? I've met her. CIA. She's a hard-ass!" Bryce looked to Chuck and Casey for confirmation.

"Chuck's probably right. Those would be the two most likely candidates. Unless they've turned another Fulcrum lady. Don't think they'd send another one of those to us." Casey paused contemplating the two options Chuck had presented. "Either way Bartowski, looks like I found the answer to the sexual frustration you claimed I may have."

Chuck sighed. "Casey is implying that he can bed either of those two."

"Yeah, I got that Chuck. I'm dense with relationship stuff, _not_ innuendo." Bryce gave Chuck an indignant look.

"Right." Chuck looked down at his watch. "Well, speaking of, they've had a few minutes to cool down. Perhaps we should go check on our partners." Chuck turned to follow Sarah's earlier path. "And Bryce?" Bryce looked back at Chuck. "Be prepared for her to be rather pissed off. You may want to consider some Kevlar."

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**Weapons Room, Castle, Below the Orange Orange**

Sarah furiously cleaned her Smith and Wesson 5906. She couldn't believe the General would pop up at such an inopportune time. _Well, yes, I can believe it. Remember Chuck's birthday?_

Cautiously, Chuck approached the room. He knocked on the frame of the door, sticking his head into the room. Seeing that he had Sarah's attention, he began to speak. "Sarah, look I'm really sorry-"

"You shouldn't be." Sarah cut him off. "You did nothing wrong, Chuck. I'm really pissed off right now. I'm pissed at Jill for what she did. And I'm pissed at myself for not controlling my emotions. The General was correct...I acted unprofessionally."

"But Sarah…I didn't take up for you! I should have defended _you._" Chuck couldn't understand why Sarah was being hard on herself.

Sarah sighed. "No Chuck, you didn't defend me. You were honest and told to truth from the point of view you had. You didn't see what I saw on that video. Bryce was right though, Jill was making a play on you. Probably to take a shot at me."

"How do you figure? And why aren't you mad at me? I still almost kissed her! And I didn't defend you! You should be furious at me." The truth was, Chuck was furious with himself. After what he'd put Sarah through, he still hadn't stood up for her to their superior when she needed him to.

"Chuck, I am furious, but not at you. Like I said, you told the truth provided the information you had. You asked me to help you find the old Chuck." Sarah looked intently into the eyes of her boyfriend. "That is what the old Chuck would have done. You're a good person Chuck. You do the right thing…even when it hurts those you care about. It is one of the qualities I've always loved about you."

Sarah looked back down at her gun and resumed her cleaning. "As for how I know she made a play, and why I'm not mad at you for what almost happened…let me finish blowing off some steam and I'll take you through the tape and break down for you what really was happening. Alright?"

"Alright," Chuck spoke softly. He turned to leave the room, but faced back to Sarah before he could exit. "Sarah?" She looked up at him. "I love you."

She smiled despite her rather unpleasant mood. "I love you too, Chuck."

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**Bryce and Jill's Room, Castle, Below the Orange Orange**

Bryce gingerly walked back to the room he and Jill were sharing. Chuck's warning still rang in his ears. _Hopefully she'll understand._

"Jill?" Bryce cautiously stuck his head in the door.

"Hello, traitor." Jill sat on the edge of the cot. Her head was buried in her hands; her elbows rested on her knees.

"Jill listen-"

"No Bryce, you listen." Jill stood from the cot and moved within inches of Bryce. "You are _my_ partner! You are supposed to have _my_ back! I thought I could trust you!" Jill punctuated each sentence by poking Bryce in the chest. She backed away then, taking on a wistful expression. "I thought that…maybe...maybe we were more than partners too."

Bryce sighed. He was still upset with what Jill had done, but it bothered him to see her hurt like this. It bothered him even more that he was the source of that hurt. Right now, he sensed he should probably comfort her. There would be time to be upset with her later. _It's what Chuck would tell you to do._

"Jill." Bryce stepped towards her, pulling her into an embrace. She tried to struggle against him at first. Bryce held her firmly and Jill acquiesced collapsing into his chest, sobbing softly. "Hey, it's going to be alright." _Good job Bryce, keep it simple._

Jill looked up at Bryce through he tear filled eyes. "I didn't want to hurt him." She chocked back another sob. "I didn't want to hurt you." The brunette agent buried her face back into Bryce's now wet shirt.

Bryce didn't say anything else. He just pulled Jill closer, rubbing her back gently.

Finally, Jill pulled away. She began straightening herself out. Bryce waited until she looked as though she'd gained her composure. Deciding a little humor may help the situation, he finally spoke. "So, I guess you and Sarah will get to know one another pretty well."

"Very funny Bryce." Jill was not amused at her…whatever he was to her…his comment. "What do we know about our new temp?"

"Uh…from what I've been told it is most likely a slutty red head or a straight arrow blond."

"I kind of hope for the red head. We could use a little variety around here." Jill paused, thinking about the implications of either agent coming to work with them. "Plus Casey could probably stand to get laid." Bryce and Jill both had a laugh at the NSA agent's expense.

"Bryce, do you mind if I have a few minutes?" Jill looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"No problem." Bryce turned to leave the room. He stopped and turned to face Jill before he exited. "Hey Jill?" Jill looked up at him. _I love you, _Bryce thought. "Umm…nothing. Take all the time you need."

Jill knew what Bryce had wanted to say. She wanted to say it too; but maybe it was still too soon. She smiled despite her rather unpleasant mood. _I love you too Bryce, _she thought quietly.

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**Castle Main Room, Below Orange Orange**

Chuck re-entered Castle's main room to find Casey poring over some documents. "Heard anything else about the new girl?"

Chuck was on pins-and-needles about what the shift in chemistry would do to the team. He was even more worried about how Sarah would take being benched. She'd seemed fine when he spoke with her, but Chuck knew this arrangement would wear thin with her rather quickly.

"Not really." Casey glanced up at the younger man. "There's a sealed package here for her when she arrives. I would open it to figure out who it was, but if it's Forrest, she'll notice. And you'll remember her penchant for protocol."

Chuck shuddered at the memory of what that woman had put Sarah through. "Yeah." Looking around the room, he couldn't think of much to add. "So we wait?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yep." Casey went back to his paperwork.

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**The Next Morning, Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange.**

The five agents were all working silently on recent case files. The fact that they were extremely short handed at the time in the field prevented them from really venturing outside into extraneous missions. Fulcrum was the one and only focus of the team at the current time.

Motion from the surveillance of the Orange Orange caught Bryce's eye. The female that had entered the store was moving towards the door to the freezer. That was all the hints Bryce needed.

"Well, looks like the new help's here." The other four heads snapped up to look at Bryce, then to the door to Castle as it slid open.

The woman quickly made her way down the stairs to join the other agents.

"Good morning everyone." She looked over at the tall man with brown, curly hair. "Chuckles," she greeted him. "Long time no see."

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_**A/N: **Who is the new girl? Any guesses? How will Sarah and Jill coexist as an analysis team? Will both of them survive the ordeal? All of these questions yet to be answered in coming installments of **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**_

_Thanks again for reading everybody. If you would take a few minutes and give me a review, I would so be your friend. Just tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you would like to see happen. Any of that stuff is golden. I really appreciate you guys. I mean that. Having people care about the work I've done is an amazing feeling. As always, you folks are awesome. Peace.  
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	13. Scentless Apprentice

_**Summary: **Who is the new agent on the team? Plus a lot of Chuck backstory and...frontloaded with lots of CHARAH!!! All that and more in **B&J vs C&S ** **ch.13: Scentless Apprentice**  
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_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. Do you own Chuck? If you do and are willing to bargain, holla at cha boy.  
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_**A/N: **Thanks as always to my fantabulous readers. I have to go back and check, but I think I got more reviews for chapter 12 than any chapter yet. You guys have really been showing he love, and I really appreciate it. I did something a little different in this chapter. I went almost all backstory. The final section is in the present time, but for the most part, you are reading a what was. This includes the funeral of Morgan, and Chuck's reaction and how he got over it. One section I did something really different. I did absolutely no dialogue, something I'm sure you've discovered my writing is usually filled with. It is especially filled with it if there is more than one character in the scene. Some will argue that there is a small piece of dialogue, but I think of it as more of narrative about what had been said much earlier. There is no live action talking, and only one "speaking though." Anyway, many of you figured out who the agent was before hand. I may have been a little to blatant in the clue giving. I hope it doesn't take away from the story. Oh, and again, since most of this is Chuck backstory, there won't be much Bryce and Jill in this chapter. We'll return to our regulars tomorrow though. I promise. So that's about it I suppose. Oh, and once again, all mistakes are my own. I really need to start getting this work looked over again. I hope the readability is not suffering for my impatience. Again, I appreciate you reading, and I look forward to your feedback. Now enjoy **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 13: Scentless Apprentice**_

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**June 2, 2009**

As the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, the lone figure sat watching the waves crash into the shore. His long curls blown asunder by the wind rushing off the water, his face betrayed the peacefulness of his environment.

She slowly approached him carrying her shoes in one hand, and a bag in the other. Stopping a few feet short of where he sat, she breathed in the smell of the sea and took in the image of him here, in 'his' spot.

"I knew I'd find you here."

"Of course you did." He finally turned his gaze from the crashing tides to the woman who had joined him. "No one knows me like you do, Sarah Walker." He looked down at his hands before he continued. "I'm sorry I've been so distant since…well you know."

"Chuck," Sarah began, kneeling down next to him and caressing his face. "You shouldn't be apologizing. What you've gone through…" she didn't want to say the wrong thing. "It wasn't your fault."

"But it was in a lot of ways Sarah. If I had still been the Intersect…if I knew…there should have been something I could have done. He always counted on me, and I let him down."

Sarah hated when Chuck blamed himself for things like this. His huge heart –usually his biggest strength- became a liability in matters of moving on. "Chuck, I wanted you to know…" She paused considering whether or not she should continue. "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but it wasn't independent acting foreign extremist that attacked the building. They were plants. Fulcrum put them there."

"All the more reason." Chuck briefly met Sarah's gaze, but turned back towards the ocean. "Beckman wants me back."

"She never wanted you gone, Chuck." Sarah turned to assess what her former asset might be thinking. "You're not seriously consider-"

"I'm not considering the offer." Sarah took a deep sigh of relief at this news. "I made a counter offer. One which the General accepted."

"No Chuck! No! Why?! Why would you do that after everything we've gone through?" Sarah was clearly in a panic at the point.

"It won't be the same this time Sarah. I'm to receive training. I'll be by your side. We'll do this together now. It's all in the deal. We can even _be_ together now, Sarah. I made her agree that our relationship would not be threatened. I made her agree to keep you here." His eyes pleaded for her understanding.

"What makes you think they'll actually keep their end of the deal Chuck? Haven't they always lied to you? Why trust them now?" Sarah prayed for a way to get Chuck out of this. She didn't want him to give up his life. If anything, she wanted to give up her life so that they could be together.

"They have no choice Sarah." His voice was so sure it startled the blond. "I'm the only one that can process the entirety of the Intersect. And I have access to the only man that can build one…and take it out of my head if need be."

"Are you sure this is what you want Chuck?"

"It's _not_ what I want Sarah." She was stunned by his honesty. Then remembering who was speaking, her shock dissipated. "It's what I have to do."

Picking up a handful of sand, Chuck let it sift between his fingers before looking back at his girlfriend. "Do you remember the first time we met?" Sarah nodded her head. Of course she remembered when Chuck had come into her life. "I was thinking yesterday about it. That little ballerina that was in the store that day? What if next time, it's her? Or what if it's another innocent just like her?"

Chuck reached out to grab Sarah's hand. He lowered his voice to a whisper that could faintly be heard over the roaring of the Pacific. "What if next time I could have done something, it's you Sarah? Do you think I could live with myself, knowing that if I had still been the Intersect, you would still be alive? Please don't ask me to put myself in that position Sarah. If you died because of my selfishness…it would kill me. I can't," Chuck swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to hold back the tears forming in his eyes. "I can't imagine going on without you."

She leaned over and embraced Chuck. Tears began to fall from her own eyes as she held the man she loved more than anything in the world. She wanted to say so much to comfort him. Sarah had never been one for words, however, so she hoped this act of affection said to him all that was on her heart.

Pulling back after several minutes, Chuck had composed himself enough to finally take in the sight of his beloved. He noticed the bag she had with her. It was not a normal accessory for the spy. "What's in the bag?"

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sarah picked up the bag and began to remove its contents. "I know you are…well, I know what tomorrow is. And I figured you could use a friend tonight. So…" She pulled the remaining items out of the bag she had with her. "One cherry cheesecake. One classic NES. And one copy of _The Legend of Zelda_." Sarah grinned up at the man to her right.

"You remembered?" She merely nodded. "Sarah…I don't know what to say." Chuck was truly floored at the thoughtfulness she had shown him. He had never been as in love with this woman as he was at that moment.

"Say you'll teach me how to play, because you're going to be a lone ranger otherwise, leaving me quite bored." Her smile melted into him. "And that would be a bad idea if you plan on getting any of the cheesecake."

The two lovers and friends shared a laugh. Chuck leaned over and gently kissed Sarah's lips. "I love you, you know," Chuck declared with a smile.

"I know." Sarah reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "I guess I love you too."

"You guess?" She nodded, trying her best to keep a straight face. "Well," Chuck said. "What do you guess about…?" Chuck grabbed Sarah and pushed her back to the ground as he began tickling her.

She was laughing too hard to push him off. Finally she yelled "You win!" Chuck retracted his hands and moved to pull away from her. Sarah instead pulled him back down, smothering him in a passionate kiss. If not for what she was trying to help him forget, this would be the most perfect moment of her life.

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**The Next Day, Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, CA**

Part of the deal Chuck had agreed to with General Dianne Beckman for use of his services included a bottomless final expense account for Chuck's late friend Morgan Grimes. He reasoned that it was for Morgan and all the Morgan's of the world that he was adhering to the request for him to return to "spy world." It therefore was only fair that his life long buddy should benefit in some way from the decision.

Chuck had searched with vigor for just the right place to lay Morgan to rest. Finally, he had suggested Rose Hills Memorial Park. It didn't have some of the big name "tenants" that some other cemeteries in LA had, but it was the "World's Largest Cemetery." He thought Morgan would be stoked about that.

Chuck had also been able, through his government connections, to secure the plot beside Rusty Burrell, the bailiff on The People's Court, back when Judge Wapner was still presiding. This was another feature Chuck thought Morgan would find cool.

Bolognia Grimes, Morgan's mother, was very thankful to her son's bestfriend. Chuck would take no credit however. When she thanked him, he simply told her "Morgan's family. Families have to look out for one another." Ms. Grimes was glad that her son had been blessed with a friend like Chuck.

While some at the Buy More would claim later that they only came to support Big Mike and his girlfriend, the truth was that every employ of the Burbank branch turned out that day to say goodbye to their former comrade. For the service, any ill will they still harbored towards the wee man was forgotten.

The service itself was somber. _Most funerals are I suppose, _Chuck had thought. Morgan Grimes was laid to rest at 2:37 PM Pacific Daylight Time on June 3, 2009.

There were tears from most of the mourners that afternoon. One man, however, was almost conspicuous in his control of emotion. The truth was that Chuck had already said goodbye to his friend. He'd said goodbye the night he died. He didn't have anymore goodbyes in him right now. To Chuck, it was just hanging out with Morgan one last time.

After the service, the number of mourners began to grow smaller and smaller with time. Chuck saw Big Mike take Morgan's mom to his car. Surveying the cemetery, he spotted the only other person who'd been hurt as much by Morgan's death as Bolognia and him. Chuck could tell she needed someone to talk to. At the very least, she needed someone to hug.

She saw him spot her. Chuck leaned over and whispered something to his beautiful blond girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek. He then began making his way towards the gravesite, and her, the sole remaining mourner. She looked away as he approached.

"He really loved you Anna." Chuck placed a comforting hand on the small woman's shoulder.

"I know," she choked out. "He was the most important thing in the world to me. I feel broken Chuck."

Chuck knew all too well how Anna felt. He felt it too. He knew he was fortunate to have a friend and a girlfriend like Sarah to help him. It dawned on Chuck that Anna didn't have anyone. Morgan really _was_ her everything. Her parents didn't even live in country. Chuck knew what he had to do.

"Anna, do you have a change of clothes with you?"

She looked up at the tall man to her left quizzically. "I always keep two changes of clothes in my car. Why Chuck?"

"I want you to come with me. You're one of only two people who felt about Morgan like I did. I thought we could go reminisce together." Chuck held out his hand to Anna.

Still a bit confused by his reaching out, Anna accepted the gesture, taking Chuck's hand. She'd never thought Chuck cared this much about her. She'd always looked up to him, and his kindness towards her in her grief really touched the young woman.

After a stop by a public restroom to allow Anna to change, Chuck drove her out to the Santa Monica Pier. Once parked, the two Nerd Herders disembarked from the vehicle and walked towards the structure together.

"Morgan always came here when he wanted to think. I think it started when he noticed I would go sit on the beach to think. Morgan needed more going on around him to be comfortable." The two shared a small laugh at Chuck's story.

"Anna, I'm going to be honest with you. I've brought you here for a reason." Anna gazed up at Chuck with questioning eyes. "I want to help you feel better."

"_Chuck…" _Anna said his name in a drawn out fashion. "Are you offering me pity sex?"

"What?! No!" Chuck was taken aback by her question.

"Is Sarah offering me pity sex through you?"

"Anna! No one is offering pity sex." Chuck couldn't help but notice a small look of disappointment on the face of Morgan's girlfriend. "I'm offering you a way to feel better. I'm offering you an opportunity to avenge Morgan's death."

"Chuck, what are you talking about? You know the radical group responsible?" Anna spoke with a biting sarcasm.

"Yes Anna, I do. And it is not the group that you were told it was." If Chuck was being dishonest or humorous, it didn't show in his face. Anna sensed his sincerity.

"Riigghhtt Chuck. Did you bring me a tin-foil hat to match yours?" Anna laughed at her own joke expecting Chuck to join in finally revealing his ruse. He never did however.

Instead, he reached into his back pocket and removed his wallet. Opening the wallet, he showed Anna his CIA identification. "Special Agent Charles Bartowski" the ID read.

"Chuck, what's going on here?" Anna was still confused, but the confusion was now beginning to mix with worry. She slowly began backing away from the man she thought she knew.

"Anna, it's alright. I work for the CIA. I was recruited out of Stanford." _Okay, that was the truth for the most part. I don't need to get into all the specifics right now. _"What I'm offering you Anna is the chance to help fight people like those responsible for Morgan's death. I'm offering you an opportunity to make sure no one has to go through what we're going through right now."

Her eyes darted around nervously. While it would give her a purpose to her life –which is something she feared was gone with Morgan- it would also change everything. What's more, Anna didn't even know if she could do whatever it was they wanted her to do.

"What would I have to do Chuck?" Her voice was tentative, but interested.

"First of all Anna, don't worry. I know you have what it takes to help us. One of my partners tried to recruit you before, but I stopped him."

"Really? Someone wanted _me_?" Chuck was surprised by the short woman's lack of confidence. In most settings she seemed to ooze the stuff.

"Anna, you have all the markings of an outstanding field agent. You're already skilled in multiple forms of hand to hand combat. You are a genius with computers and computer programming as well as infiltration of computer systems. And Anna, the way you seem to exude sex…let's just say Infiltration and Inducement of Enemy Personnel should be a breeze to you."

Anna stared appreciatively at her Nerd Herd boss. "You really think I could do it?"

"Anna, I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't. And I'm not the only one. Say you'll do it. Say you'll make sure Morgan didn't die in vein."

"I'm in Chuck." Anna thought quickly over what Chuck had said. "Who else thinks I'm good enough?"

Chuck smiled. "Well, if you're in…" Anna confirmed she was with a nod. "Alright then, since I'm still technically training, and I'm not a full field agent as of yet, and you must be recommended by a fully certified field agent, Anna Wu, allow me to let you speak with your recommending operative." Chuck whipped out his iPhone and scrolled for the correct contact.

"_Hi Chuck."_

"Hey, she's in."

"_Really? You want me to talk to her?"_

"If you would. You'll need to instruct her on what happens now."

"_Of course sweetie. Put her on."_

"Alright Hun, love you," Chuck said in closing.

"_Love you too."_

Chuck then handed the phone to a now excited Anna Wu.

"Hello? Sarah?"

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**Present Day, Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange**

The five agents were all working silently on recent case files. The fact that they were extremely short handed at the time in the field prevented them from really venturing outside into extraneous missions. Fulcrum was the one and only focus of the team at the current time.

Motion from the surveillance of the Orange Orange caught Bryce's eye. The female that had entered the store was moving towards the door to the freezer. That was all the hints Bryce needed.

"Well, looks like the new help's here." The other four heads snapped up to look at Bryce, then to the door to Castle as it slid open.

The woman quickly made her way down the stairs to join the other agents.

"Good morning everyone!" She looked over at the tall man with brown, curly hair. "Chuckles," she greeted him. "Long time no see."

"Anna!" Chuck quickly moved across the room to envelope his old friend in a hug.

Anna quickly returned the gesture and then turned to the other agents in the room. "Agent Anna Wu," she introduced herself. "And you are?" she questioned, turning to Bryce. "Agent Bryce Larkin."

Before Anna could say anything else to Bryce, Jill cut in. "And Agent Jill Roberts…Bryce's _partner._" Jill tried to add every bit of extra meaning the word 'partner' could possibly hold.

"Geez, you two are sleeping together. I get it." Shaking her head, Anna turned to the final two agents in the room she hadn't spoken to. "Agent Casey, Sar..Agent Walker I mean. It's nice to see both of you again."

"You can call me Sarah, Anna. We're all pretty informal when we're not speaking to the superiors." Sarah smiled at the shorter woman. She remembered what it was like to be the new kid on the block in the CIA. She would try to make it easier for Anna here while she was still with the team. _Not that I can help her out in the field,_ Sarah thought ruefully.

A thought then dawned on Sarah. Anna hadn't been gone very long at all. Operative training is typically a 9-11 month venture. "Anna, you are back out rather quickly. You finished "The Farm" in such a short amount of time?"

"Yeah, I got through it in five months. I was kind of the star student while I was there." Anna couldn't keep the pride out of her voice at her admission. "One of my instructors informed me that no one had graduated "The Farm" in such a short amount of time since some chick named Sarah Walker did it in four months." Sarah blushed slightly at the acknowledgment of her achievements.

"Sarah, I always thought you were super cool, and I looked up to you even before I knew you were an agent. But you are a living damn legend at that place. Did you know there is a rumor floating around down there that you are just a myth? That there really isn't a Sarah Walker? I wish I could have told them who recruited me in. The others would have been so jealous!"

Sensing his girlfriend's embarrassment and hoping to quell Anna's excitement, Chuck broke in. "Sooo..." Chuck stepped back in front of his former Nerd Herd co-worker. "What's say I take you on a little tour of our base?"

"Sounds great Agent Chuck." Anna smiled at her old friend

"Then off we go Agent Anna." They began to disappear into the hallway. Before he left, Chuck called out over his shoulder "You guys have fun with that paperwork now!"

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_**A/N: **How will Anna mesh with the team? It already appears she and Jill have gotten off on the wrong foot. Will Casey put a move on the only unattached woman in the group? Would it make him less cranky? Is Anna too young for him? What is next for the team? And we look forward to Jill and Sarah's first mission as an analysis team. All in upcoming installments of **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**_

_Thanks again for reading everybody. Like I said, I tried doing some different things in this chapter, and I would really like your feedback. So if you would take just a moment of your time, and click that little review buton down there, you can tell me if you liked it, hated it, or were indifferent to the different style I wrote that section in. Also let me know what you think about me doing a majority flashback chapter. I enjoyed doing it, but in all honesty, it may should have been a companion piece one-shot. I hope you guys don't mind too much. Anyway, I'm going to quit babbling now. You guys are awesome as always. Peace.  
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	14. In Bloom

_**Summary: **Anna is welcomed to the team. What's next for our group of spies? Why new allegiances may form? When will Ellie get to confront Chuck and Sarah? All this an more in **Ch. 14: In Bloom**._

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. I'm not getting one red cent for this. Or a blue cent. Or green, or even lavender. No cent of any kind was made from this work  
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_**A/N: **Hi everyone! Sorry for posting so late tonight. I did beat the midnight Eastern deadline I set for myself though, so that's cool. As always, you guys came through with some great reviews. It is the highlight of my day to get to read through what everyone thought. I got a little behind in trying to respond to everyone, but I promise, I won't make a habbit out of that. I enjoy having you guys around and the interractions we have far too much for that. I did rush to get this out, so there may be even more mistakes than usual. I hope not, but, eh, what are you going to do? I'd like to thank **Mystlynx, SarahLisaWalkerFan101, and kayla101blue **for lending an ear and hearing an idea I had about where to go with this. They all gave me some great advice, and I hope everyone enjoys the fruit of said advice. Once again, as usual, all mistakes are 100% my own. I appreciate your readership, and I look forward to your feedback. Now, ladies and gents, I present to you **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 14: In Bloom**._

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**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange**

"…this is where Bryce and Jill are staying. They have a…complicated past and we need to make sure they're not out in public where they can be identified." Chuck continued guiding the small Asian woman around the base.

"They have _that_ many enemy operatives domestically? That's…strange." Anna was genuinely puzzled by the statement. Why would two CIA agents be so sought after in country? Now that she thought about it, why was there such a big operation going on in country to begin with? She'd have to ask later. _Maybe over drinks. That will be the only way I could possibly get some answers. _

After taking a moment to contemplate how to properly answer her question, Chuck decided he'd better give her something to prevent her from getting the wrong idea. "It's not really enemy agents…although they certainly have enemies." Chuck paused, considering whether or not he should continue. He wasn't given the chance as Anna broke in.

"What, were they involved in a drug ring or something? Or gangs? Prostitution?" Chuck was silently amused that Anna would ask if Jill had history in prostitution. He had to stifle a laugh at the insinuation.

Then, as if a light had come on, a vague memory popped into the woman's head. "Wait…Jill, Bryce…you were recruited out of Stanford. Chuck! That's Jill that broke your heart and Bryce that got you kicked out of school!" A shocked look adorned the face of the diminutive agent.

"Shhh!" Chuck commanded. "Anna, you know you need to be mum about things of our past! Just because you're back in familiar territory doesn't mean you can let your guard down. In many ways, you _must_ be more guarded here." Chuck immediately regretted the harsh tone he'd taken with his friend. He immediately softened his expression and took on a lighter tone of voice. "Listen, Anna. I didn't mean to get so worked up. But there are some things that need to stay…here," he finally finished.

"I understand. I guess I'm not at liberty to know these things." Anna looked dejected from the rebuff.

Sighing yet again, Chuck placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry Anna. Unless you get assigned here permanently, we have to keep many of the intimate details of the mission from you. Everything here is on an extreme need-to-know basis." He looked down at her apologetically.

"I understand." And she did understand. It didn't make getting left out of the loop feel any better.

The pair made their way to the armory. "And, well, I guess I don't need to tell you what this is." Chuck saw Casey enter the room and decided it would be a good time for a barb directed at the hulking agent. "I should mention that when he has to stay here, this is where Casey sleeps. Or I guess he sleeps. He sets his cot up in here. However he always gets up really early and washes his sheets." Chuck grinned as he could see the other male agent turn red with anger and embarrassment in his periphery.

"Leave John alone," Anna said to Chuck. "There _is _something very alluring about this room." Her voice had dropped an octave into a very sultry tone.

Casey gulped at the thoughts of the mixture of sex and firearms the newest member of the team was causing him to have. Anna Wu could be quite alluring herself when she felt the need.

"Chuck." Anna looked up at her former supervisor. "I need to clean my piece anyway. I think I've seen everything there is to see. Go check on Sarah and let me know if you need anything." Chuck nodded and he two men turned to leave the room.

"John," Anna called to the NSA agent seductively. "Would you care to join me? You look as though your…gun…could use some attention." Chuck quickened the pace of his exit. On the list of all the things he wanted to see, the union of Anna and Casey was nowhere to be found.

Checking to make sure Chuck was out of sight and hearing range; she turned back to Casey, dropping her seductive façade. "It's hard isn't it?"

"What?! No! It's fine. I mean I'm fine." Casey never stumbled for words like that. _Get a hold of yourself John. You shouldn't be drooling over a skirt like that. Man up!_

Anna laughed at the older man's awkwardness. "No. I mean it has to be hard being around Chuck and Sarah. And now the others, Bryce and Jill. This is a lonely life by nature. They made sure I knew that back at the academy. But to not only be lonely, but to be surrounded by people, agents even, that _have _found someone. It can't be easy John."

Casey looked away, focusing on his disassembled Sig Sauer resting on the table in front of him. "I'm fine. I have my job. It keeps me occupied."

He knew he was lying. He wasn't really fine at all. Casey wasn't the jealous type, but he'd certainly been jealous of his two partners the last few months. Deep down, he knew he should be happy for them. He thought of the two people he'd worked with the past two years as family now; not that he'd tell them that. But when it came down to it, his loneliness, his longing was only exacerbated by the closeness his partners enjoyed. It was why he was so hard on the couple. To their credit, the pair generally took his abuse in stride. Casey knew it was only a matter of time before they would come to resent not only his words and actions, but Casey himself.

"John." The NSA agent looked over to Anna. "There was a woman that came to visit you back at the Buy More once. It was a couple of years ago…maybe less." Casey grunted in acknowledgement of her comment. The grunt seemed to hold no particular emotion or tale of negative or positive affirmation. Anna continued anyway. "It was her wasn't it?"

Casey put down the tools he was holding. Staring at his hands, he considered whether or not to allow this conversation to continue. His classic John Casey stoicism demanded he not talk. The little known lonely man inside the gruff exterior, who'd not had someone to talk to really since Bartowski and Walker began their current relationship longed for a friend to open up to. For once the part of himself he hid from the world won out.

"That was her." Casey's voice was uncharacteristically soft and vulnerable. "Her name was Ilsa."

"Was? Is she..." Anna didn't want to finish the question. It hit a little too close to home for her.

"No," he said immediately before her mind could wander down a dark path. "Her cover was blown and she had to skip town." He heaved a sigh of reflection. "The perils of love between agents I suppose."

"Yeah," Anna said flatly. "That's why I'm perfect for this job." Casey looked at her quizzically. "I've known love, John. He's gone now." A wistful expression engulfed her face. "I'm not looking for love. I'm looking to avenge love."

"Huh," Casey grunted. Snapping his pistol back into place, he raised the handle towards the female agent. "Then here's to the 'greater good.'"

Quickly finishing the assembly of her own weapon -a Smith and Wesson M&P- she raised her own handle to clank the two guns together. "The 'greater good.'"

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**Castle Base, Main Room, Below the Orange Orange**

Chuck had settled in to get back to his paper work. What must be going on in the other room had to be quite distasteful to make him _want _to do paperwork, he mused.

The screen in front of the group beeped and a message crawl began to run across the bottom. "Mission briefing in 5 minutes," it read.

"Chuck," Sarah said looking over at her boyfriend. "You want to go get Anna and Casey?"

"No." Chuck's voice was solemn and his stare determined.

Confused, and a bit perturbed, Sarah stood up. "Fine, I'll go get them." She began to make her way to the armory, shaking her head as she went.

"No, Sarah, don't go back there!" Chuck frantically chased after the blond, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

"Chuck, what's going on?" His behavior was odd to say the least, even for Chuck.

His face contorted into a nervous, uncomfortable wince. Speaking under his breathe, he let Sarah in on the situation. "I think they are…" Chuck stopped and began making a suggestive motion with his hands. "You know…_fornicating." _While uncomfortable before, his tone slipped to a state of near nausea with the final word.

"Forn- oooohh." Sarah now understood her boyfriend's reluctance to go to the back room. Pulling her iPhone from its belt clip, she dialed Casey.

"Casey, briefing in five." She quickly disconnected the call. The last thing Sarah Walker wanted to hear was the "love sounds" of John Casey.

The hulking NSA agent and the diminutive, young CIA agent emerged from the weapons room moments later.

"What the hell Walker? Couldn't come get me yourself? You know tax payers pay good money for those minutes you just wasted." Despite the seeming irrelevancy of his outrage, Casey remained steadfast in his expression.

"Chuck said some, uh, things may be happening back there. I would rather not play audience if it's all the same to you Major." Sarah found she was beyond uncomfortable just thinking about what may have been happening within spitting distance of her.

Casey smiled inwardly. This was the moment of revenge he'd been relishing for months on end. "Well Walker, if you want to know what _things _were going on, I'm sure I could pull the surveillance for you." Casey began moving towards the computer that housed the surveillance for all locations.

"No!" Sarah spoke, almost too quickly. "That will be quite alright Casey. I'll remain blissfully ignorant."

Anna was amused by the exchange between the two agents. She _was_ a bit hurt however that Sarah wouldn't want to see her in all her glory. If Anna got a chance to sneak a peek at the blond… _Leave it alone Wu. Be professional. It's probably just Casey she doesn't want to look at anyway, _she thought to comfort herself.

After a few moments, the visage of General Beckman popped up on Castle's main screen. The woman looked her usual icy, annoyed self.

"_Good morning agents. It's nice to see no one rolling around on the floor trying to kill one another today." _Despite a sentence that would usually be considered humorous, the General's face bore no sign of amusement.

"What?" Anna whispered to the other assembled agents. They all gave her a look that seemed to say to leave it alone. She obliged the silent request.

"_Agent Wu welcome to the team. I trust that you've been welcomed by everyone else here?" _Beckman cast an accusatory glace at the two other female agents.

"Yes, General," the youngest of the group answered.

"_Very well, then to the matter at hand. Your last mission was, as you know a success. I did not have the opportunity to congratulate everyone on such a fine effort. That having been said, the biggest fish that we have a positive ID on managed to avoid capture yet again. I am of course speaking of lead Fulcrum council, Ken Adams. Fortunately, our sources have spotted him frequenting this off track betting facility in East Hollywood." _A picture of the betting parlor appeared on the screen next to Beckman.

"_Mr. Adams has at this point come into contact with every one of you and would be able to ID you by name…except for Agent Wu. Although the incident that necessitated your presence was…unfortunate, it couldn't have come at a better time Anna. You will be making contact with the mark." _A picture of Ken Adams appeared below the picture of the parlor.

"Will this be going down today, General?" Casey spoke up for the first time during the briefing.

"_What? N-no. Agent Casey it's Monday? Who bets on Monday? Honestly. This will be going down Friday. Friday is a heavy action day and the OTB will no doubt be filled. This will allow for you, Agent Larkin, and Agent Bartowski to gain necessary cover. If Adams sees any of you, he will no doubt flee. Agent Bartowski, you will also need to use your skills to identify any security the target may have. Agent Wu, I can not stress the importance of gaining control of this man. You are to gain his trust by any means necessary and lead him to a capture. We need him alive." _Anna nodded in recognition.

Looking at the two remaining agents, Beckman's face took on a more disgusted expression than normal. _"Walker and Roberts, you know your assignment." _The two women avoided the gaze of Beckman and the other agents in the room. _"And that will be all." _The transmission ended leaving only the seal of the Director of National Intelligence on the screen.

"Well, looks like you gals have a Friday slumber party at Castle." Casey turned an amused grin to Jill and Sarah. Neither of the two female agents shared in his amusement.

Trying to break the tension, Chuck turned to the newest member of the team. "So Anna, what do you have planned for today? Where are you staying?"

"Well, I have to go to my new cover job. In my packet that was here, I was given an evaluation that because of my history at Buy More, it may be difficult to avoid contact that might jeopardize my cover. Therefore, I have been set up to work at, uh, Underpants Etc." Anna was clearly annoyed at the choice of her cover employer.

"Couldn't you just work here at Orange Orange with Sarah?" Bryce, who'd been noticeably quiet all morning felt bad for the young woman.

Anna sighed. "From a tactical standpoint, it was reasoned that the added location would give us a leg up from a defensive standpoint."

"Well, it could be worse. It could be Mighty Jock." Anna shivered at Chuck's mention of the sporting goods store. "But if you could, I have been dying for years to know what the 'etc.' in Underpants Etc. implies. If you could get me that intel…"

"You got it Chuck." Anna smiled at her goofy, good natured cohort. "As for where I'm staying…I don't know. I guess I should go look for a decent hotel or something. I came straight here when I arrived."

"You could stay at our place for a while if you want Anna. Chuck and I have to stay here with Bryce and Jill anyway," Sarah offered.

"Oh I couldn't. That wouldn't-"

"Consider it doing us a favor," Chuck piped in, cutting Anna off.

"Well if you insist." Anna was actually quite happy about the offer. It had been a long time since she'd slept in a familiar setting. The Bartowski/Walker residence wasn't home, but she'd been in that apartment many times before. It would be close enough to home.

"We do." Sarah and Chuck's ability to think on the same wavelength would have been astounding to someone who had never been around them before. Anna was all too familiar, however with the couple's seamless chemistry from her former life.

Just then, Chuck's iPhone began buzzing. Looking at the display, his face took on a look of panic.

"Hi El!"

"No, I know I said we'd be over, but we've been kind of swamped."

"Yes at the Buy More! What, you don't think people have computer emergencies?"

"Alright fine."

"Yeah sis, we'll do it tonight. Alright?"

"7 o'clock. Got it."

"Love you El." And with that, Chuck put his phone away.

He looked over at his girlfriend. "Well honey, I think we have a important meeting tonight."

"We have to talk to Ellie?" Sarah was terrified of this confrontation.

"Yep." Chuck didn't feel any better about the impending storm of questions Ellie would have. He felt no better either about the monsoon of lies he would have to tell his sister. _Tonight's gonna suck._

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_**A/N: **It's time for the Ellie vs Charah showdown! What will happen? What is this new relationship forming between Casey and Anna? Bryce has been quiet, is he still mad at Jill? All coming up soon in **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah**._

_Again, a big hardy thank you to all my readers. Knowing that I'm putting something out that people are enjoying is really, really fun and exciting. I look forward to getting the reviews from you guys like you wouldn't believe. If you haven't reviewed before, and you're reading this, why not take a minute and let me know what you think? The others will vouch for me in saying that what you guys tell me certainly affects the course of the story. Let me know what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you'd like to see. I guess that's all for today. I'll try not to be so late in updating tomorrow. Like I always say, you guys are truly, truly awesome. Peace._


	15. Talk to Me

_**Summary: **Bryce and Jill finally talk. Sarah and Chuck must come clean to Ellie. Casey has a new partner in crime. Beckman is forced to contact Sarah and Chuck at home. All this and more in **ch. 15: Talk to Me**_**.**_  
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_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. I don't own any good shows, just really crappy one's that you've probably never seen before.  
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_**A/N: **Hey guys. First off, I want to apologize. By the end of ch. 14, I was kind of rushing to get it done and I may have let the quality slip towards the end. I'm really sorry if that turned you off. I switched a few things up again in this chapter. We're going to start with the setup to the climax, and then go back in time to the beginning of the week and work up from there. The actual climax that begins in this chapter will not take place for a few more chapters, but I thought it would be cool to see where exactly we're going and then figure out how we got there. Let me know what you think of this style. All my regular reviewers know I'm very open to suggestions. I've taken a lot of what you guys have given me and implemented into the story. All of you are really a terrific audience. I proofread this chapter a little more closely than they last. That means very little in the long run. I'm quite positive that I missed at least a few things that needed correcting. I'm also quite positive that once I look at the post in story format, I'll notice said mistakes myself, haha. Anyway, thanks again for reading, and I look forward to your feedback. Now for your...umm...reading pleasure **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 15: Talk to Me.**  
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**Encore at Wynn Resort Suites  
Las Vegas, NV  
Saturday November 21, 2009  
7:55 PM PST**

Okay, the week had not gone exactly as planned. More aptly put the week had turned into one giant mistake and unpleasant surprise after another. Casey and Anna had just left the suite that had turned into a temporary base of operations. The two agents were following a trace they had on Ken Adams and two unknown accomplices believed to be sitting Elders in charge of Fulcrum.

Jill Roberts and the woman she begrudgingly called a partner had their own work to do. _This is only temporary, _Jill reminded herself. The frantic, angry blond was wearing thin the former Fulcrum agent's patience. If she heard "This is my op and you'll do as I say" one more time she would scream. Or maybe she'd just shoot herself. No, she would shoot Sarah, and then shoot herself.

Sarah was pretty sure she felt an aneurysm coming on. If this _scientist_ didn't stop trying to tell Sarah Walker, legendary CIA agent how to _be _an agent, the blond was going to have to choke a bitch. It was Sarah's boyfriend being held captive after all. Okay, so Jill's…whatever the hell Bryce was to her was in there too. That didn't really matter to the veteran agent. The plan was set. They had people on the way to get the Fulcrum leaders, and Sarah was going to save the day and rescue Chuck. She'd even get Bryce out if time allowed for it.

The two women had been pacing the room, avoiding the gaze of the other like the plague. Finally they both came to a stop and began to stare down their counterpart. If it were a contest to who would break the other, Sarah would have won. Jill's hard expression began to lose some of its venom.

"How did this all get so fucked up?" Jill's question was directed at Sarah, but from the far off look in her eyes, could have been intended for anyone willing to answer.

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**Castle Base  
Below the Orange Orange  
Burbank, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
6:45 PM PST**

He approached his partner and secret love as she busied herself with the latest Fulcrum intel. Chuck and Sarah were hosting Ellie and her husband tonight for an apparent "come to Jesus" lecture from the female doctor. They'd taken Anna along to get her set up in the apartment and make sure she knew where everything was before the new agent would return to Castle. Apparently, Chuck and Sarah didn't want anyone else present for the ass chewing they were most likely going to receive.

Casey was left once again to watch over he and Jill, but being Casey, he was setting up to catch every moment of Chuck and Sarah's encounter via surveillance. It was nice to have a quiet night around here for a change.

Bryce gently placed his hand on his partner's back to gain her attention. He knew he'd been more than distant with her since the incident with Chuck. He wasn't even sure why it had upset him as much as it did. _But you do know why it upset you Bryce. _

Well, he did know what had upset him about this particular encounter Jill had had. It wasn't the act itself. Almost kissing meant absolutely nothing. Kissing wouldn't have bothered him. Even sex with someone else he could have let slide. In this world, you took what you could get romantically _and _physically. No, what bothered Bryce was the other party to Jill's play.

He liked to believe that he was mad about it being Chuck because he was looking out for his old friend yet again. The truth was, however, Bryce had accepted the fact that he was pretty far gone over Jill. He'd seen how happy Chuck and Sarah were, so despite what his training had said, he knew now that a relationship between two people in this business _could_ work. His biggest worry in trying to pursue something real with the brunette woman was fear.

Bryce wasn't scared of the relationship not working. He wasn't worried that something meaningful between him and his partner would compromise a mission. Bryce only feared that Jill didn't feel about Bryce like he felt about her. He knew what the doctor of bio-chemistry once had with Chuck. He'd seen how good they were together. If he were to start something with Jill, would she ever be over Chuck enough to let him in? Could she ever let Bryce be her true love?

"Hey Jill."

She looked up at Bryce with sad eyes. "Hi Bryce." Her voice sounded weak and defeated. _She must still feel I betrayed her. _

"Jill, I'm sorry about what happened. I'm sorry…I'm sorry I didn't defend you. I was upset with you at the time, but I should not have let that make me abandon you." Bryce looked sincere in his apology.

"_You_ were upset with _me_? For what? The only one who has the right to be upset around here is me!" Jill Roberts can become quite aggressive when she's been hurt. Bryce was catching the brunt of that right then.

He was not one to back down from a verbal sparring, however. "_For what_? Maybe for making a play on Chuck. Does that ring a bell?"

"Of course that's what you'd be upset about, Bryce. Always worried about Chuck. Always protecting Chuck. Why the hell can't you protect _me_ for once?" Jill's voice had raised to a scream at this point.

"It wasn't about Chuck!" Bryce shouted back.

"What do you mean it wasn't about Chuck? Why were you pissed off at me if it wasn't about Chuck?" Jill's tone of rage was also quite demanding. It would have struck fear into the hearts of many men. For Bryce, it merely threw him off balance.

"Because I love you Jill! And I'm scared you're still too hung up on Chuck to give me a chance." Bryce hadn't intended to say this much. Bryce Larkin was not a man of regret, however. He was relieved in a way that all of this had finally come out. Now he just had to wait on Jill's reaction. His wait, while taking just seconds, seemed like an eternity. This was the moment of truth.

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**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment  
Echo Park, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
7:00 PM PST**

"Ellie, I promise, we'll talk, but first, I think we should just all sit and enjoy the wonderful dinner my beautiful girlfriend has prepared." Chuck looked from his sister to the pan of made from scratch lasagna Sarah had prepared.

Ellie sighed. "You're right Chuck. This looks wonderful Sarah."

The blond agent beamed at the praise from her boyfriend's sister. She'd long appreciated the culinary skills of Eleanor Faye Bartowski-Woodcomb. The fact that Ellie appreciated Sarah's cooking felt like quite the coup.

Dinner for the most part was very uneventful. Conversation was kept nice and light. The food was terrific and -all things considered- when they left the table everyone was in a pleasant mood. As they moved to the living room, the mood changed.

Chuck and Sarah sat on the couch. They held hands for support of one another as Ellie paced in front of them. It was somewhat disconcerting to Sarah that a shoot out inside a Fulcrum facility, when the odds against her were about 20-1 made her feel no pressure. But here in front of the sister of the man that she loved, she felt completely vulnerable and frightened.

"Alright you two, I want to know what's going on. I want the truth this time. Do you think you're capable of that?" Hurricane Ellie was blowing through, and early indications suggested she was going to be a bad one.

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**Castle Base  
Main Room  
Burbank, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
8:05 PM PST**

_Now for the good stuff._ Casey wasn't sure if he was referring to the scotch he was now pouring for himself, or the impending shit storm about to rain down on his two partners. _Okay, clearly they can't be upset with me giving them a hard time about this. 'They,' _Casey thought. _They may have to put up with a lot of crap but at least they're not putting up with it alone._

As if answering his silent call of loneliness, a voice resonated from behind him.

"What cha watching?" Casey turned to see Anna Wu focusing on the surveillance screen.

"Bartowski and Walker getting their ass chewed by his sister." Casey wore a noticeable smirk as he described the situation.

"Care if I join?" Seeing two people she'd looked up to for some time now get put in a position of being powerless intrigued the young woman. It was sure to disillusion her a bit too, towards her new co-workers. She'd always thought them somewhat invincible. Well, Sarah she'd surely thought invincible. She was _the_ Sarah Walker. Legends about her floated around Langley like nothing Anna had ever seen. But now, a lady doctor was really laying into them. And they both looked scared. Anna found it disconcerting.

* * *

**Bryce and Jill's Room  
Castle Base  
Burbank, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
7:15 PM PST **

"You-" Jill had begun to continue their squabble when Bryce's words finally sunk in. Her face ran a gauntlet of emotions ranging from shock, to overwhelming joy, to strangely enough, fear. "You love me?" Jill's voice was now no more than a whisper.

Bryce was only able to nod. _Jesus Bryce, how did you let yourself far this far. _Bryce commanded his conscience to silence itself. This was possibly the happiest he'd ever been. Not that he'd had a happy life by any means. Before this, his happiest moment was probably when he and Chuck completed their very own version of _Zork_.

Sure there'd been many moments he was proud of. Graduating with honors from Leland Stanford, Junior College, being selected to be an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency, the multiple missions he'd completed to make the world a better place, not to mention his many sexual conquests, but this moment was about something greater than pride. Today –or more appropriately tonight- Bryce Larkin was a happy man.

Finally the conflicting emotions seemed to absolve themselves from Jill's countenance leaving only her biggest, brightest smile. Grabbing Bryce by the collar of his t-shirt, she yanked her partner to her, nearly ripping the shirt from his body in the process. She quickly locked him into the most fierce kiss she was capable.

What seemed like eons later, the couple's lips parted, the two agents left panting for breathe. Leaning her forehead into Bryce's chest, Jill managed a sentence through her gasps for air.

"Bryce? I love you too." She looked up into his blue eyes, made quite warm by the flood of emotion coursing through both of them.

"I know." His reply was not delivered with the arrogant tone that his words would have implied. _I know._ It was an acknowledgement of understanding. Bryce understood that they were both ready to admit to the feelings they'd been hiding under the surface for a while now. This was their coming out to one another. _He knew._

"Bryce, are we going to be alright?" Jill's question encompassed so much ground. It seemed to say: W_ill we be safe? Will you stick by my side? Do you forgive me? _Among other pressing questions that it implied.

"Yeah Jill," Bryce said, looking down to meet her questioning stare. "Everything is going to be fine. Trust me."

* * *

**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment  
Echo Park, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
8:37 PM PST**

"Well El, this all starts-"

Sarah cut Chuck off. "Sweetie, this was my idea. I'll explain everything to Ellie. You don't know all the details anyway." Chuck nodded, barely containing the confused look on his face.

"Ellie, this all started a few months ago. Chuck and I have been talking about maybe moving forward in our relationship."

"Moving forward? Sarah, you two already live together. What is left to move for…" Suddenly it hit Ellie what the younger woman was implying. "Wait, are you saying you two are engaged?"

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other. Wordlessly, she encouraged him to play along. "Well, not yet anyway. Before we make that commitment, I thought we needed to undergo some couples' counseling." _Couples' counseling? _Chuck thought.

"I was reading a book about relationships, and I really liked the advice they gave." Sarah took Chuck's hand in both of hers as she continued her lie. "We both love each other very much, but no matter how much love is present, issues from the past have a way of working themselves into a relationship. I wanted to head that off at the pass, so I arranged for one of Chuck's old flames to meet up with us."

"Jill," Ellie said with an icy voice.

"Yes, Jill. I have an uncle with some connections that was able to help me track her down. When I spoke with her, I told her my desires to have her meet up with Chuck and myself so that we could work through any lingering problems Chuck may have with what happened at Stanford." _Damn she's good at this. Maybe too good. I'll have to keep my eye on her. _Chuck didn't like being suspicious of his girlfriend, but the fact that she could weave such a powerful web of deception so easily was unnerving to say the least.

* * *

**Castle Base  
Main Room  
Burbank, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
8:40 PM PST**

"So what did I miss?" Anna was making her way down the stairs of Castle carrying the two fro-yo's she'd gone to get for Casey and herself.

"Just Agent Walker lying her ass off. Good stuff. I can rewind it if you want." Casey took the frozen treat from the short woman.

"Hmm, would be a shame if she lost that ass. It's a good ass." Anna caught the strange look she was getting from Casey. "What? I can't admire another woman's features? Especially a woman as delicious as Sarah Walker? A woman I would love to…" Anna stopped herself at this point. "Alright, point taken. Maybe _that_ was a little far. I don't make secret my sexual history Major Casey."

_Dear God, what the hell is this girl doing? I don't get intimidated…but you know what? I'm a little intimidated._

"So what's your history John?" Anna looked at the older man with inquisitive eyes. "No details or anything, I know. But a man like you? You must have had your share of hot pieces." Anna took in the man before her and amended her statement. "You probably had a bunch of other peoples' shares too."

_Fine, if she wants to play this game, then let's play. _"Oh, I've done pretty well for myself Agent Wu. I don't like to brag, but I've heard there is a shrine to me at a women's college in Russia."

_You will not get the best of me John Casey! _"Is that right? Is the artwork anatomically correct? Or was there even room for…all that?"

_Dammit Casey, don't blush! _

Before he could retort however, something on the surveillance caught his attention.

* * *

**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment  
Echo Park, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
8:55 PM PST**

"And so it turned out that Bryce was still alive. I guess he said his death was a case of mistaken identity or something. Jill was able to bring him with her. I thought it would be perfect to get everyone together and let Chuck work through the demons he had left from their betrayal." Sarah smiled at Ellie as she finished weaving her tale.

"That still doesn't explain why I saw John Casey come out of your store Sarah." The young blond had explained a lot to Ellie, but the doctor still had her suspicions.

"I can explain that Ellie." Chuck broke into the conversation between the two most important women in his life. "When I found out Bryce would be there, I thought it would be a good idea to bring John with me. I asked him to come make sure I didn't take a swing at Bryce or anything. Knowing that pretty boy, he'd get all indignant and sue me after I broke his nose. I figured I didn't need the hassle." Chuck bore a grin of his own. Mostly his smile came from thoughts of breaking Bryce's nose. _Hey, I forgave him. Doesn't mean I have to give up all my fantasies of punching him in the face. It would just be a little catharsis._

_Oh, if only you knew little brother. I don't think any Buy More salesman was going to be a threat to an agent like Bryce is now, _Ellie thought.

"Well, I guess you guys answered all my questions." Something still seemed off to Chuck's older sister. She decided however, that it could probably be chalked up to her over protective nature. "So that's the whole truth?" The couple in front of her nodded a yes to her query.

"Sarah, I'm sorry I thought the worst of you. You really have been great for my brother. Will you forgive me?" Despite any remaining reservations she may have had, her questions _had _been answered, and Ellie knew how much the other woman meant to Chuck. She felt an apology was probably necessary.

"Of course Ellie. You were only trying to look out for Chuck. Anyone who has _his _best interest in mind is doing right in my book. I appreciate you trying to protect the love of my life." Sarah was relieved to not be lying for the first time since this conversation began. She was quite skilled at deception, but deceiving someone as honest as Ellie Bartowski-Woodcomb was not something she enjoyed doing.

The problems and concerns Ellie had at the beginning of the night now assuaged, she excused herself to the kitchen to get another glass of wine.

Chuck and Sarah looked at one another, the relief clearly visible on both their faces. Once again they'd managed to wiggle their way out of a very close situation. Chuck's secret was safe for now.

Well, was ended up being the operative word. Just as they'd let the relief of getting away from Ellie's questioning wash over them, disaster struck. The living room television flickered to life. The image of General Beckman appeared on the screen.

_"Agent Walker, Agent Bartowski, are you decent?" _The General was looking down at her desk. She still had nightmares about the time…_don't think about it right now, you'll just bring more pain on yourself._

The eyes of the two agents shot up at the television. "Um…General? This is really not a good time." Chuck's voice was frantic.

Shielding her eyes further, Beckman spoke again. _"Well agents, perhaps you should put some clothes on. We have important matters to discuss."_

Sarah blushed at the memory of the Director of National Intelligence popping in, via video-conference on her and Chuck enjoying each other's company. She knew she needed to end this quickly though. "No General it's just that-"

"Who's that? And why the hell did she just refer to you two as agents?" Ellie looked from the screen to her brother and his girlfriend, or whoever that woman was.

A dejected look crossed Chuck's face. There was no getting out of this now. Ellie had to be let in. "General," Chuck began. His voice carried none of its usual enthusiasm. "Permission to bring Ellie into the loop?"

_"Agent Bartowski, you know it has been my wish to bring your sister into the fold for some time now. Having two doctors with knowledge of your operation is a much better proposition than having just one."_

"Wait, two doctors? Who's the other doctor?" Ellie looked back and forth from the woman on the screen to her brother. Her answer came from someone else altogether.

"It's me babe. I've known about what Chuck's up to for some time now." Devon rolled himself to grab his wife's hand in support. He knew this was a lot for her to take in.

"General," Sarah started. "We need to brief Dr. Woodcomb…err…the other Dr. Woodcomb who we're just adding to our team. Can we conference back in five?"

_"Very well, conference back in five. That is all." _And the screen went blank again.

"Alright everybody, start talking…but not everyone at once!" Ellie looked around the room at the three people that she'd believed she could trust, but had found out for certain tonight that she very well couldn't. She couldn't trust anyone anymore. Everyone had been lying to her. Ellie hated being lied to.

* * *

_**A/N: **Uh-oh, now Ellie really knows the truth. What will come of this? Casey and Anna's chemistry has grown, but what is it growing towards? How long can Bryce and Jill stay on each other's good sides? All this, plus much more coming up in future installments of **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**_

_As always, thank you guys so much for reading. The response I have gotten from this, my first real effort into fanfiction has been nothing short of unbelievable. I really wish I could make you guys understand how much that means. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to your feedback. Like I always say, you guys are really, really awesome. Peace.  
_


	16. All Apologies

_**Summary: **Ellie is brought into the loop, how will she react? Isn't it about time for a mission? What's going on with Bryce and Jill? How are our two favorite trouble makers? All this and more in **ch. 16. All Apologies.**  
_

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. NBC owns Chuck. NBC should renew Chuck. You hear that NBC?  
_

**_A/N: _**_Sorry I didn't update yesterday guys. I had a family emergency and it's been hectic around here for the past couple of days. I should get back on track starting tonight though (hopefully). I got some really good feedback for chapter 15. It didn't really surprise me. You guys always come through.__We've seen some couple's angst in the past chapters...so it's about time for some fluff right? Then follow that up with some more angst? That's what I thought. Gotta keep 'em on their toes. To any new readers, welcome to the story (well, you're 16 chapters in, not really fair to call you new anymore, but you know). If you haven't reviewed before, why not now? I take a lot of advice that I get from my reviews and use it in the story. You guys affect what gets published. Alright, I won't keep you much longer. I know it's been a while since I updated. I would like to thank the very talented **Mystlynx **for the beta work. Any mistakes you see are completely my fault for missing something he corrected for me, because I'm kind of slow like that. If you haven't read his work, by the way, check it out. You'll thank me for the recommendation. Anyway, that's about all, please enjoy **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 16: All Apologies**_

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**Secret Fulcrum Holding Facility  
Just outside Las Vegas, NV  
Saturday November 21, 2009  
7:00 PM PST**

Chuck and Bryce were bound in a dark, dank room. Fulcrum operatives had long since given up trying to get any information from Agent Larkin. He wouldn't talk. Well, he would talk eventually, but they didn't have the time to wait. Instead they would start working on his friend. The taller man would either talk, or Bryce's obvious affinity for the other man would lead _him_ to talk to stop the horrors being inflicted on this Carmichael. They'd been through three rounds of grueling torture with the duo. They'd let them rest for a while before beginning again.

"I'm sorry Bryce." Chuck was gasping for air, fighting against the pain that was consuming his body. "I'm sorry I'm not a good agent. I don't know why I hesitated."

"I know why Chuck. You hesitated because you're not a killer. And you are a fine agent Chuck. I was wrong all those years ago to think you couldn't do this. My best friend can be anything he wants to be. Well, not anything; Chuck Bartowski can't be a typical agent because he's too good of a person. It just took you some time to remember that."

"Well it seems to me that I could have found a better time to remember than when we were counting on _me _to take out a guy during an infiltration of the Fulcrum 'Mothership,' or whatever the hell they call it. Couldn't I have remembered over breakfast the next morning or something?" Chuck's labored breathing did not distract from the look of self resentment that procured itself on his face.

"Chuck," Bryce paused. "Don't blame yourself for this. It was my plan. I put you in a position you should not have been in. I put you in a position to fail." _I put you in a position to feel guilt for being who you are, _Bryce added silently.

"Bryce, if you make it out of here, please tell Sarah-"

"Stop it Chuck!" Bryce was horrified that Chuck was giving up. They had to fight this. They would make it out. "We're getting out of here…both of us. Then you can tell Sarah anything you want. We'll take down Fulcrum, and then we can all live happily ever after. You have to believe Chuck." Chuck was the eternal optimist. So why couldn't he see the glass as half full now? _Come on Chuck, battle this buddy._

_

* * *

  
_

**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange  
Main Room  
Burbank, CA****Monday November 16, 2009  
8:55 PM PST**

"Why do you ever leave this place?" Anna's eyes were glued to the screen in front of her. "Also, why the hell isn't this stuff on television? This shit is ratings gold!"

Casey let out a soft chuckle at the exuberance of the young woman. "There are two trained agents who live in that apartment. There is really no reason for there to be any surveillance. In fact, as the private residence of two CIA agents, there really _shouldn't _be any surveillance." Casey licked his lips, the corners of his moth turning up into an almost evil grin. "But still I have video of everything that goes on there. Why do you think I left the cameras?" He turned to look at the woman sitting next to him. "All the better to entertain myself, my dear."

"You're an evil, sadistic man John Casey." Anna's eyes lit up with the smile that possessed her own features. "This is why I think we'll get along quite well, Major."

The two shared a laugh as the continued to watch Chuck and Sarah explain to Ellie who they really were. The doctor was not taking the news quite so well.

* * *

**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment  
Echo Park, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
9:00 PM PST**

"So that's the short version Ellie. I promise we'll go into greater detail in a little while. We really need to contact our superior. If you guys could just…" Chuck didn't finish with words, but motioned with his head for Ellie and Awesome to give him and Sarah a moment with the General.

Ellie looked as though she was going to resist. Luckily Devon grabbed her hand and convinced her to go outside with him for some "fresh air."

"You alright sweetie?" Sarah rubbed Chuck's back to comfort him.

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't want that to happen, but I suppose that at least we can be more open with Ellie." Chuck really was relieved that he could be himself with his sister again. She would worry about him still, sure. But at least Ellie wouldn't be forming these wild theories about Sarah and him.

Chuck hit a series of buttons on the remote control, connecting him to General Beckman. It was decided the communications equipment that was in their apartment having a seemingly innocuous voice activated code word lock on the connection was not in the best interest of maintaining a cover. Other than the close calls with Devon back in the spring time, it had only really been an issue when Chuck and Sarah decided to do some role playing. That was the day the process to open communications was changed. _Maybe the "Special Agent Carmichael" open sequence was more about maintaining 'covered' in front of the General, _Chuck mused.

"Very well agents. I trust everything went well with Dr. Woodcomb?_" _Chuck and Sarah nodded.

"Yes General. Everything is in order. If you'll send over the paperwork, we'll have Ellie ready to go." Sarah was glad they'd had the foresight to go ahead and get approval for Chuck's sister to gain the added clearance necessary to work on the Intersect project. It would make this entire process much easier. More than a month passed before Devon was able to come into the fold officially.

"Good. The papers will be there in the AM. Now to the matter at hand. There has been a change in plans with regards to the Ken Adams bust. Our source inside Fulcrum has indicated that Mr. Adams will not be in town through the rest of the week. We have confirmed that Fulcrum's head council has checked into The Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. We believe that this is more than just a personal getaway. This is the only picture we have been able to get of Mr. Adams in the city. Do you see anything suspicious, Agent Bartowski?_" _

The screen split, revealing a picture of Adams walking through the lobby of a hotel surrounded by six other men. Chuck felt a familiar pressure in his head.

_A man tossing pizza dough  
An illustration of a knife with a crescent shaped blade  
The same symbol tattooed on the knuckle of a hand holding a gun  
Zooming out of the symbol revealed the man to be one of the men trailing Adams  
A picture of the same man with three of the others following Adams, all in combat gear  
A man tossing pizza dough_

Chuck gasped as he came out of his flash. "Oh, umm…four of the six men with Ken Adams are members of Fulcrum's 'Garnet Army.' This is the secret organization within Fulcrum tasked with protecting the Elders. For lack of a better term, they are the 'Fulcrum Secret Service.' That means the other two men –or at least one of them- have to be one of the Elders!"

"Then it's just as we suspected. There is a major Fulcrum gathering this week in Las Vegas. If one of the Elders is there, it would mean that the other members of the board are also in the city. This is the opportunity we have been waiting for. We were able to acquire one room in the same hotel and a resort suite in a property of the same hotel. Agents Casey and Wu will be posing as a couple on their honeymoon. They will stay in the suite at the resort. Agent Bartowski, you and Agent Larkin will be in the hotel room in the same building as Adams. I'll let you decide on your own cover. We will further discuss your plan of action when the four of you arrive in Las Vegas_."_

Sarah was very disturbed by what she believed to be a gross oversight. "General, you didn't give me my orders. Where will I be while all of this is going on?"

"Agent Walker, your status has not changed. You and Agent Roberts will monitor from Castle via video_."_

"General, if the operation was here in Los Angeles I would agree that nothing has changed. But in order to…properly give…intel, shouldn't we be on site?" _Lame Sarah. The General is never going to go for that. Is that really the best you could come up with?_

The General sighed. _"_I don't see how being on site will help in your analytical role Agent Walker_." _Beckman paused, pursing her lips before continuing. _"_That said, I will allow for Agent Roberts and yourself to travel with the rest of the team. Your roles once you reach the destination however have not changed. You will still monitor from the video feeds. The only difference is you'll be in the hotel and ready in case of catastrophe_"_

_I can't believe she went for that. No matter, at least Chuck and I get some time away together. _It amazed Sarah how being stripped of her field duties could make her think so little of the task at hand. She had always been one to focus almost entirely on the mission. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to participate made her excited for the other opportunities that awaited them on their journey.

"Again, we will all reconvene when you reach the location. I will brief the others In Castle while you two prepare._"_

"Prepare? When will we leave General?" Chuck was perplexed by this change in strategy. Furthermore he couldn't prepare just yet. He had to finish getting Ellie up to speed.

"Tonight. We must move quickly. We have very few details about what is actually going on and how long it will last. You must be on site and set up by morning. If there are no further questions…_"_

The connection ended. "It's a good thing we never have further questions," Chuck muttered.

**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange  
Burbank, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
9:20 PM PST**

"Well, go get Larkin and Roberts. Looks like the General will want to speak with us soon." Casey began clearing away the take out boxes he and Anna had accumulated during their evening viewing of the disaster that was "Dinner at Bartowski and Walker's."

Anna walked back to the room Jill and Bryce were sharing and to no surprise witnessed them sharing much more than that. She waited for a few minutes to allow the couple to finish. Sensing that it was going to take too long, and knowing General Beckman was not a patient woman by nature, she reluctantly stepped in, knocking on the door frame as she did.

"I'm sorry to interrupt such an interesting show, but the General will be joining us momentarily." Bryce and Jill jumped at the intrusion. Quickly they covered themselves. "You should probably clean up first." Anna turned from the embarrassed couple with a devilish smirk on her face leaving the two lovers to get themselves back together.

Five minutes later the briefing began. The group was given basically the same information Chuck and Sarah had already received.

"Agent Roberts, while it was originally my plan to leave you and Agent Walker back at Castle, she convinced me that for whatever reason, it may be fortuitous to have the two of you on site. Major Casey, make sure all surveillance equipment is properly installed and set up a base of operations out of the suite at Encore. That will be all._"_

"Well, I guess the show's over for us kid. Best we start packing up. Walker and Bartowski should be here any time." Casey began moving towards the armory. _Where any good packing begins._

"Dammit, it was going to get good again," Anna whined. Thinking quickly, she set the video to record. _Just a quick upload to my iPhone and I have entertainment on the go._

**Chuck and Sarah's Apartment  
Echo Park, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
9:25 PM PST**

Ellie and Awesome came back into the living room to continue their discussion from earlier. In the meantime, they saw Chuck and Sarah moving about the apartment throwing stuff into duffle bags. _Okay, that's now four guns I've seen Chuck pick up. Chuck's not supposed to know about guns. He's certainly not supposed to be carrying four guns around in a bag._

"So are you going to finish telling me what the hell is going on?" Ellie was more than a little irritated at her brother and Sarah's (_Sarah? Maybe that's a fake name. Does she really care about Chuck? Do agents really care about anything?_) seeming ignorance of the doctor's presence.

"Ell…" Chuck sighed. "We have something to take care of. We might have to postpone this until another time."

"What do you have to take care of that's more important than this Chuck?" When had Ellie taken a backseat in her brother's life? _We are supposed to look out for one another._

"Fine Ellie, we'll go through the whole thing now, but we have to be quick." Chuck was obviously exasperated at this point, but family meant too much to shut her down outright.

"And just why does it have to be so quick, Chuck?" Ellie asked indigently.

"Because we have a mission Ellie." Sarah was now joining the conversation. Chuck loved his sister. He was not going to be berated for serving his country. Sarah wouldn't allow that.

"I'm really sorry that Chuck and I have to leave out of the blue like this, but it's kind of how it works. Feel fortunate. Most operatives never see their families really. We're usually too busy flying around the world. Luckily for you, Chuck's ops have almost all been here in LA. Occasionally, we must go elsewhere, but it never takes that long. He loves you Ellie."

Sarah paused from her tirade to look over at her boyfriend. "It has absolutely eaten him up inside that he couldn't tell you what he did. It killed him to lie to you. I hurt him to no end that you had to think he was just some Nerd Herder. He wanted you to be proud of him Ellie."

Looking back to the brunette through steely eyes, Sarah continued. "Yet despite all of that, he kept his secret from you for your protection. Because if you had known about what we really do, it _would_ definitely have put you into the line of fire. So don't _ever_ question how much my boyfriend loves you. He'd move Heaven and Earth for his big sister."

The anger immediately dropped from her voice, replaced by a pleading tone. "Please Ellie. Don't abandon him now. He still needs you." Sarah paused, contemplating just what Ellie had come to mean to her. "I need you too."

Ellie experienced something within her that she never thought she'd feel on this night. She was filled with guilt. Chuck _was _doing something with his life. He had a beautiful girlfriend that clearly was enamored with him and would defend him. And if she was honest with herself, Ellie knew her brother had been much happier the past few years. On top of all of that, he'd put his personal emotions aside to protect _her_. Chuck was a hero, and she had doubted him. _Well I won't doubt my brother anymore!_

That said, Ellie had been given a role to play on this team. She wasn't being left behind. "You're right Sarah. I'm sorry for the way I acted. I should know Chuck would never intentionally hurt me. He's the best brother in the world." She paused looking to her husband then back to the couple in front of her. "So when do we leave?"

**Fulcrum Headquarters  
Apex, NV  
Sunday November 15, 2009  
12:05 AM PST**

"I don't like this idea Adams. We have played with these agents long enough. Your little trap back in Palmdale ended with us losing over thirty operatives and our top interrogator." The dark figure looked to the other members of Fulcrum's group of leaders known as the Elders.

"I agree. While your advice has always been considered to be vital to our organization, I fear your ego may be getting the best of you. Remember what we are trying to do here. It is not our purpose to play puppets with people as dangerous as this."

A third elder added to the conversation. "I will go against the grain here and say that your plan does have its merits Mr. Adams. That having been said, we need a more definite solution. Fulcrum has held every one of the operatives you believe will come to pursue this lead. So far, we've gleaned no intel from any of them. We have been able to gain many dead Fulcrum agents. What makes you think that this time will end differently?"

Despite his high standing inside the cabal, Ken Adams never lost his fear of facing the Elders. Perhaps that was why they had kept him around for so long. Looking at the figures cloaked in darkness, he prepared a rebuttal and ran it over in his head a few times before speaking.

"This time, we believe that they will all be together. If we can capture at least one or two of them, killing the rest will work to assure the rescue of the captives does not go down." He smiled as the crux of his evil plot came into light.

"Very well Mr. Adams. We will proceed as you have advised. Be warned however that your reputation within Fulcrum is now at stake. Your past few missions have certainly not gone off as planned." The feminine voice that spoke was the one to be feared the most. She was probably the most ruthless of all of the Elders.

He shivered inwardly at the words of the woman. "Very well. If there is nothing else sirs?" With no reply, Ken Adams made his leave of the chambers. His plan was now officially set into motion.

**Orange Orange  
Burbank, CA  
Monday November 16, 2009  
11:05 PM PST**

"Bartowski secure_."_

"Yeah, Chuck. Where the hell are you guys? You should have been here over an hour ago!"

"Yeah, sorry about that Bryce. Sarah and I had to explain to Ellie why she couldn't come on the mission_."_

"Ah, I see you do take after big sister after all."

"I wouldn't stay in the car long before Ellie tried to force her way into a covert op._"_

"Fair enough Chuck. Listen, is Sarah going to be alright doing straight analysis? You know as well as I do that inaction is not her MO."

"Sarah will do her job Bryce. Just make sure you do yours_."_ Chuck's previously pleasant tone had been replaced by a very defensive speech pattern. No one would assume that _his_ Sarah was anything if not a professional.

"Alright, alright. Sorry buddy. I'll see you guys when you get here." Bryce ended the call.

He turned to Jill who was leaning against the counter of the yogurt shop. "Jill, you got a minute?" Bryce motioned her over towards a secluded corner of the store. _Well if we have to wait, I may as well get something out of the way. _The two made their way over to take a seat at a couple of chairs Bryce had wrangled off one of the tables.

"Jill listen. I know what has been going on between us the past couple of days, and believe me, I'm happy about it. But-"

"But now we're on a mission. I know how to be a professional Bryce. So does everyone else here including that blond tramp that's on her way. I don't know why you insist on questioning everyone else's commitment to the job. Are you trying to remind yourself to act like an agent?" Bryce's little "act professionally" spiel was getting on everyone's nerves, including Jill. A really morbid part of her wanted him to give that speech to Casey. _Bryce said Casey has shot him twice. I'd bet that would make number three._

Bryce sighed. "Jill, I don't mean to imply that you don't know how to act. I will remind however that it was not that far in the past that you spit in Agent Walker's face, inciting a brawl between the two of you."

Jill seethed at the mention of the battle between the two women. "How _dare_ you throw that in my face! You want to play that game? Fine! I'm taking advice on being professional from a CIA agent that not five hours ago professed his love for a woman with known Fulcrum ties."

"That's you game Jill?" Bryce looked at his partner with dangerous eyes. She merely stared back. "Fine, fine. That's what you want to do…Jill, I just…arrggh." Bryce stomped away from her angrily.

"Huh, this is going to be a fun mission." Anna turned slightly to her new partner to hear him grunt in agreement with her observation.

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_**A/N: **Thanks as always for reading guys. You make it fun to write. Things started to clam down later today, so I shouldn't have any more delays. I also have a long weekend, so I should have more time to write. Hopefully I can knock out more than one chapter at least one day to make up for missing a day. _In future installments we'll find out: _What was the Ken Adams plan, and did it work? Will Jill and Sarah be able to work together when it really matters? What's the deal with John and Anna? and many more things...hopefully. Anyway, thanks for reading and I look forward to your feedback. Until next time...you guys are awesome. Peace._


	17. You Know You're Right

_**Summary: **The mission kicks into gear. What does Fulcrum have in store for our team? Will Bryce and Jill make up? What will make Anna cry? All this and more in **chapter 17 You Know You're Right**.  
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_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. I Don't own anything, because I'm a socialist. Okay, really I'm a Social-Plutocracist, but who's counting?  
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_**A/N: **Hey, thanks as always guys for the awesome reviews in chapter 16. Some really good points were made. I'll try to improve on them. **WafflemanX **in particular pointed out that I may be jumping around too much, making it a little confusing to follow. I've cut that out in this chapter. I still have a flash forward at the beginning, but once we go back after the first section, everything falls in more a linear progression. I hope it's better. I worked on this chapter for hours and hours you guys. I'm fighting off some major writers block made worse by my excitement to watch the show tomorrow. I finally finished about 1:30 AM EDT, and decided to go ahead and post. There was no beta work done on this one, so all mistakes are completely my own (well, the mistakes are always my own, but this time it's like doubly my fault because I didn't get anyone to look at it). I'm sorry about putting this out in the middle of the night, but hey, at least there will be something to read in the morning! Anyway, that's about all, I look forward to your feedback, and I hope you enjoy **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 17: You Know You're Right.**_

_**Special Author's Note: **By the way, before I forget, there is a very subtle shoutout to another author and frequent poster on the boards. I always appreciate when you guys let me know when you pick up on the references, but this one in particular, I really want to know if you see it. Okay, enjoy the story now._

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**Casey's Suburban  
In Pursuit of Ken Adams  
Saturday November 21, 2009  
8:45 PM PST**

"Do you think they'll get to them?" _Do you think they'll still be alive? _Anna added silently.

Casey sighed, his eyes never leaving the road. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you. It's a long shot at best. But if anyone can pull it off, it's Walker. If it was me in there, I would rather have no one else looking for me." He sincerely meant that. Sarah was not only the best partner he'd ever had; she was also one of about two people on this planet he'd learned to trust. Of course the other one was locked up in some Fulcrum base that was God knows where.

Then there was the agent to his right. She wasn't nearly there yet when it came to gaining John Casey's trust, but there was something about her. He couldn't put his finger on it, but she was the first person to come into their team that felt like they belonged here.

Anna looked down dejectedly at the floor boards. "I just wish there was some-"

"Don't do it kid. Looking back like that will make you lose your mind in this game." Why did he feel the need to protect his temporary partner like this? It was his job to watch her back during combat, but to look out for someone's emotional well being was not typically a trick in the John Casey repertoire. It especially bothered him that it was some CIA skirt to whom he was feeling this attachment.

Anna appreciated the way Casey looked out for her. With her parents in Taiwan almost all of the time, and having been on her own since graduating high school, it had been far too long since she had felt like anyone was looking out for her. Anna had figured that it would feel good to be around people she'd known from before. What she'd never counted on was the feeling of belonging that had greeted her with this team.

The two agents were broken out of their thoughts as a crackle came through the radio. "We got him holed up. We'll wait for your orders Major." The non-descript voice of the SWAT leader was a beautiful sound to the ears of the two agents that had been in chase for almost an hour.

"Roger that. We got a bead on your location. We're about fifteen minutes out. Hold your position. Alert me of any changes, copy."

"Roger that Major."

The radio crackled a couple of more times then went silent. They had their man. They had the man responsible for capturing their friend. He captured Larkin too, so it was hard to be too pissed off at the guy. That said, they had to do this for Chuck. If they could get this scumbag, it would be a huge step in ending the Fulcrum threat forever. Bartowski and Walker could leave the Intelligence Community like they always talked about and go have a million kids or whatever the hell it was they wanted to do. John Casey did what he did so good people like his two partners could have that kind of life. That was what he'd always told himself. Tonight it was time to pony up.

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**Encore Suites at Wynn  
Las Vegas, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
7:30 AM PST**

Chuck woke up to the sound of the bedside alarm clock. He looked down to the sight of the beautiful blond resting peacefully against his chest. Briefly he thought for what must have been the thousandth time this week just how lucky he felt to wake up like this. He also thought to how there was no other way he wanted to wake up for the rest of his life. _But first things first._

He reached over and turned off the alarm. Turning his head, he placed a light kiss on Sarah's forehead causing her to immediately stir.

She looked up at him through sleep filled eyes. "Good morning," she groaned.

"Good morning beautiful." Chuck placed another kiss on his girlfriend, this one on her lips. She reacted to his greeting by gracing him with a brilliant, albeit still sleep heavy smile. "Ready to catch some bad guys?" he asked.

Her smile faltered slightly at his question. "Oh yeah. I'm good and psyched about sitting behind a monitor," she deadpanned.

"Ah, it won't be so bad. Maybe you can get one of the masseuses to come give you a rub down while you're working."

She pushed away from him so he could see the full range of her incredulous glare. Sensing he needed to say something to make her feel better about her situation, and coming up largely empty, Chuck said the only thing he thought might help.

"Come on Sarah, you know me. I'll get into some kind of trouble and you'll have to swoop in to save me. It's how we work." He offered her a sympathetic smile.

"You better not be getting into any trouble, mister. You go take care of business. Take down Fulcrum, and then we can start thinking about our future."

"And what future would that be, Agent Walker?" Chuck spoke with a teasing tone to his voice.

Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes. "Well Agent Bartowski that would be the future in which we leave all of this crap behind. It's the future where our lives are not constantly threatened. It's the future where I'm not Agent Walker. I'll just be a normal girl, in love with an amazing guy." She leaned forward and initiated a kiss of her own. While not quite a smoldering expression of passion, it was not nearly as chaste as the two Chuck had bestowed on her earlier.

"Sarah Walker, agent of no, you will never be just a normal girl." An odd look crossed her face at his comment. Was it…hurt? He quickly continued. "You will always be much, much more than normal. When this is all done, and we leave this all behind, you'll be the most incredible woman in the world, in love with a guy that thanks the gods every day that you picked him." The next kiss was _quite _smoldering.

Eventually Chuck pulled back. Looking into the eyes of the woman that owned his heart, he knew he would be a little late for the morning briefing.

Over in the other bedroom in the suite, the morning was not going quite as well. Jill awoke to an otherwise empty bed. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she quickly scanned the room. She spotted Bryce standing by the window staring out into space.

"Bryce, look." He didn't look at her but still she continued. "I'm sorry for what I said last night. You just…you can't try to tell everyone what to do."

Without turning to face her, Bryce began speaking. "No Jill, you were right. I've been acting unprofessionally lately. Perhaps I _have_ been projecting my shortcomings onto those around me. You don't have to worry though. It won't happen again."

_Won't happen again? What won't happen again? _"Bryce, what do you mean?"

Finally turning to face in Jill's direction, a focused determination was evident in his eyes. "I mean us Jill. This thing that's been going on. It shouldn't…it shouldn't be. It's not the way we should act. We were not trained to be like this."

"Like what Bryce? Human?" Rage peppered Jill's questions. "I don't care what kind of training we've had! I know I have feelings for you. Can you honestly tell me that you don't feel it too? Can you look me in the eye and say that you don't want _this_?"

Bryce's steely gaze lost none of its intensity as he spoke. "It doesn't matter what I want Jill. I have a job to do. So do you. Whatever happened between us was a mistake." His voice was a picture of disconnection. Turning on his heel, he left the bedroom to go prepare for the morning briefing.

Once Bryce had closed the door, Jill collapsed back into her pillow and sobbed. _How could he say those things? Why would he do this to me?_

Finally after about thirty minutes of emotional breakdown, Jill was able to pull herself together. Slipping on some clothing, she ventured out into the common room to prepare for the briefing herself. Bryce and Anna sat at the table reviewing files. The youngest member of the team greeted her with a smile as she walked in. Bryce however didn't even acknowledge his partner's presence.

Coming back to the table with four mugs of coffee, Casey looked towards the other bedroom in the suite. "Jesus, could those two be a little louder?"

The other three heads turned towards the source of the noise permeating throughout the suite. "So Walker ever sound like that when you two were going at it?" Casey wore an evil smirk as he addressed Bryce.

Looking up briefly from his notes with an annoyed look on his face, he began to reply. His rebuttal was cut off however as Jill spoke up. "Doubtful. Ruth's Chris always get's a good reaction. In & Out Burger hardly garners the same excitement." There was a biting tone to Jill's quip.

Sensing a need to break the tension, Anna stepped in. "Wait a minute. You," she pointed at Bryce as she spoke, "used to be with Sarah? And Chuck stole her from you? Is that why he forgave you for Stanford?"

Jill and Bryce's eyes shot up at the mention of their history with their common friend. "What do you know about Stanford?" they both asked nearly in unison.

Anna looked timidly between the two agents. "Not much really. Chuck never really talked to me about it. All I know is what I heard from Morg-"

Before she could finish the sentence, emotion overcame the small woman. She quickly left the table for the kitchen to try to hide her tears.

"Wait, Morgan? Chuck's friend Morgan? Why did that upset her?" Jill looked between Casey and Bryce. Sensing that Bryce wouldn't tell her anything even if her knew something, she focused her gaze on Casey.

Heaving a deep sigh, the NSA agent spoke in an uncharacteristically soft voice as to avoid being heard by his new partner. "Yeah, that Morgan. He and Anna…they were…they dated."

"Chuck's little bearded friend Morgan?" Jill was still in shock that such an attractive, and apparently capable young woman would date that little toad that always tried to tether himself to Chuck. "And _he_ broke up with _her_?" _Well, I guess it shouldn't be that shocking. Maybe he finally realized he was in love with Chuck._

A look of annoyance presented on Casey's features at Jill's question. "No. He's dead." The large man felt no need to go into deeper detail than that.

That would explain a lot to Jill. Despite her aversion to that gremlin, she knew how much he'd meant to Chuck. He would have been crushed by the death of his long time friend. Especially if…

"Wait, it wasn't sickness or an accident that killed him was it?" Jill was pretty sure this is what had led to the change in the Chuck she had once known. Obviously it had changed another person in a similar fashion. Jill would have to remember to talk with this Anna later about it. Maybe she could learn more about the evolution of Agent Bartowski.

John Casey didn't answer the woman's query immediately. He looked down at his hands, then finally back up at Jill. He shook his head and released a low guttural growl. "Fulcrum," he said simply. A dangerous edge accompanied his utterance of the organization they'd been at war with for so long.

Finally the other bedroom door opened and out stepped Sarah Walker, followed closely by Chuck Bartowski. "What, no encore this morning?" Casey ribbed his partners about this type of thing whenever the opportunity presented itself. _Not that they care. They're still getting laid, which is more than I can say for myself._

Anna emerged from the kitchen after having collected herself. If one hadn't seen her desperate emotional bolt from the room minutes earlier, they wouldn't have known anything had been wrong.

The Asian woman looked over to see Chuck and Sarah had finally joined them. "So you two finally joined us? Not that I didn't enjoy the audio porn, but we probably shouldn't keep the General waiting. She tends to get a little pissy from my experience."

The couple blushed at the mention of the racket they'd stirred. "Were we really that loud?" Sarah's spoke with a shy lilt to her voice, her eyes cast downward.

"Walker, if you weren't such a capable agent, I would have assumed you were being killed." Casey shuddered at the thought of what he'd heard. Worse yet were the images it brought up in his mind's eye. _I might need to look into that brain bleach soon. Maybe get a trip to the 'Attic.' That can't be any worse than this._

"Well if everyone is ready." Bryce was clearly put off by the banter exchanged amongst his colleagues. _Maybe one day they can all grow up and act like adults, _he thought shaking his head.

"Who shit in his cereal?" Chuck asked in a whispered tone to Casey.

"Either they had a fight or Roberts is on the rag. She's been rather bitchy too," Casey whispered back to the curly headed man.

"Jill's never been that bad when she was-"

Chuck's whispered response was cut off as Bryce pressed to button to begin their teleconference. They six agents all looked up to see General Beckman appear.

"You're late."

"Yes General…we uh…we wanted to make sure we had…uh…adequate time to read over all the um…intel," Chuck's grabbled response came.

"Right." The General was clearly not impressed with this _clarification_. "Very well, is everything in order in your base?"

"Yes General," replied Casey.

"Good. We had an agent able to track members of Ken Adams party to a building outside of Las Vegas in Apex. We believe this to be Fulcrum's headquarters. Agents, I need not tell you that this is the break we have long been awaiting on this case. Agent Larkin and Major Casey, you will set up surveillance outside of the facility today. Under _no_ circumstance are you to infiltrate the building. This is simply recon work. Agent Wu, you are to go back to your hotel and attempt to make contact with members of Adam's group, or any Fulcrum members present. Agent Bartowski will monitor through a video feed and identify Fulcrum operatives for you. The other two…you know your job. I'll send over the information you need for your recon work. That will be all."

Casey glared over at the raven haired man that had been in thorn in his side for so long. _Great, I get to work with Emo-Bryce. _Instead of commenting on that occurrence, he decided to take a shot at Chuck. Bartowski always played a good sacrificial lamb.

"So looks like you get to have a girls' day Bartowski." Casey grinned at the male member of his usual team.

Thinking quickly Chuck came up with his response. Pulling Sarah from her chair and into his body, he spoke. "You ready to give Casey that 'encore' he was asking for honey?" He grinned mischievously at the blond, looking out of the corner of his eye to gauge the older man's reaction.

Playing along, Sarah looked back at her boyfriend matching the mischievous look he had with one of her own. "Ready and willing sweetie," she answered in a very sultry tone.

"Alright Larkin, we're outta here." Casey began to march towards the door of the suite, trailed by the laughter of the couple he'd just been teasing. Bryce quickly gathered up the paperwork they would need and hurried to the door to catch Casey.

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**Inside of Fulcrum Headquarters  
Apex, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
10:05 AM PST**

The tall slender man with salt and pepper hair quickly strode across the room to answer the phone on his desk. "This is Adams."

"Adams, is everything going as planned."

"Yes ma'am. Agents Larkin and Casey are currently set up outside doing surveillance. Our people were able to intercept their radio signal, so if or when plans are made, we will know what is going down. We'll let these two go for the time being. It's important to make sure we have all five of the group together. When they attempt to infiltrate, then we take them."

"Very well Mr. Adams. I hope your plan works out as well as you seem to think it will…for your sake." The female Elder hung up the phone, leaving Adams nervously holding a receiver emitting now only a dial tone.

He began nervously pacing in front of his desk. Deciding it was time for a progress report, he dialed the agent he'd put in charge of monitoring the activity outside the building.

"Roche secure."

"John, this is Ken. What is our status on our visitors?" He tried to keep the nervousness from him voice as he spoke to his subordinate.

"Well boss, there has been very little radio contact. Mostly what we've been able to pick up is Jill Roberts making snide comments to Larkin, and Major Casey insisting that both Roberts and Larkin 'get the sand out of their vaginas.'"

"I see, so nothing concrete on their plans just yet?"

"Sorry boss, we'll keep listening. I'll let you know the second something comes through."

"Very well Agent Roche, carry on. Adams out." He hung the phone up in disgust. This was going to be one long day.

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**Wynn Hotel Lobby  
Las Vegas, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
11:30 AM PST**

"Oh my God this is getting tiring. Nothing yet Chuck?" Anna had been doing laps around the lobby for nearly two hours and they'd yet to identify any Fulcrum presence, much less one of Ken Adams party.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing yet Anna. Sorry." Chuck really felt bad for his friend. This was one of the most boring assignments he could remember. On the bright side, once a target was identified for Anna, his job was done. And once his job was done, Sarah had promised a little 'afternoon delight.'

Anna moved towards the chairs in the center of the hotel's common area. _The video should pick up just as much if I'm sitting down, _she thought. Before she could get seated however, something on the video caught Chuck's eye.

_A picture of a guillotine_

_A note of honorable discharge_

_A military file for a Eric Lynch_

_An image of Lynch in front of a podium_

_The Garnet Amy logo_

_A picture of a guillotine_

"Anna, the guy to your right! The one sitting down reading the paper. He's the director of Fulcrum's security force. His name is Eric Lynch."

_How the hell does he know all this? _Anna turned to see the man in question. He was not unattractive. He wasn't as tall as Casey or Chuck, but he was a solid 5'11 Anna would guess. He was clearly in his late 30's to early 40's, but he still looked to be in good condition. The slight graying at the fringes of his otherwise sandy brown hair added a certain dignity to his image. She wasn't usually much for the 'silver fox' type, but there could be worse things than having to bed this guy.

Anna casually approached the new target. "Excuse me, uh, I hate to intrude, but…oh God, I never do this…I couldn't help but notice you here all alone. My husband stepped out for the day-"

"Husband?" Lynch asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, he left me here _on our honeymoon_ to go play golf. The real romantic type, you know." Anna feigned annoyance for the benefit of her mark.

"Well," the man sat the paper he was reading aside. "I'd say your husband is a fool Ms…"

"Anna. We don't need proper titles here. I just kind of wanted someone to talk to, and a handsome gentleman like yourself may be just what I need…" She left the statement open extending her hand to the former Marine.

"Eric, Eric Lynch." He took her hand gently in his own and gave her a light shake.

"Well Eric, Eric Lynch, it is a pleasure to meet you." Anna smiled at the man.

"The pleasure is all mine Anna." He had yet to let go of her hand.

"Umm…would you like to get some lunch or something? I don't know much about the city. This is my first trip here, but if you know anywhere…" She looked up at him expectedly.

"Well of course. It would be my honor." He stuck his arm out to the new 'bride.' Anna took his arm and the two made their way out of the hotel.

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**Encore Suites at Wynn  
Las Vegas, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
12:05 PM PST**

"Well, that's taken care of; I think you and I have some business of our own to deal with." Chuck employed the "Bartowski Eyebrow Dance" on Sarah.

"Jesus, do you two never get enough? I mean honestly?" Jill was clearly frustrated with her two cohorts.

"Nope," was Sarah's simple reply as she grabbed Chuck's hand and led him back to their bedroom.

"What's going on there?" Casey's voice boomed through Jill's headset.

"Oh, the fornicators just left me alone to indulge in their sin. You think if I really focus, I can cause a condom to break with my mind?" Jill delivered the line with a deadly serious tone. Casey had to admit, the woman could be quite funny when she tried.

The radio went back to silence as Bryce and John continued to monitor the comings and goings of the Fulcrum facility. Something about this whole thing however didn't quite add up to Jill. She decided to voice her concerns.

"Does this not feel strange to you guys?" Hearing no reply, she continued. "I was never allowed in or even informed of the location of Headquarters. Suddenly however, we have been able to easily trace someone back to the building and have been monitoring the premises all morning without any interference. That doesn't strike you guys as odd?"

"It's not our job to have feelings about stuff Jill. It's our job to follow orders." Bryce's tone was cold and bitter even.

Casey looked over at the younger man. Bryce could really be a tool when he got the mind to do it. "Roberts, I'm not going to say you're wrong. Something is a bit odd about our sudden fortune. That said, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but Bryce is right. We have our orders. Just hang with us in case we get into any trouble."

"Roger that Major." As much as Casey had been an asshole to Chuck and Sarah, Jill couldn't help but feel a sense of pride that he was sticking up for her. Indirectly as it may have been, he had agreed with her. She must be doing something right.

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_**A/N: **Are Jill and Bryce on the outs for good? Will Jill be able to break a condom with her mind? What will Anna learn on her "date?" All the answers are forthcoming in future installments of **Bryce and Jill vs. Chuck and Sarah.**_

_As always, thank you for reading. I know I've gotten a little lax in my updating the past few days, but I'm really trying to make sure I put out a quality product. I hope everyone is sill enjoying the story. As always, I encourage you to let me know what you think of how the story is going. Feedback is a vital part of the reader/writer relationship, and I enjoy communicating with you guys. By the way, that doesn't just go for me, it is true of most of the authors here. We all love to hear from you. Anyway, that's about it from me for now. Again, thank you for reading and I look forward to your comments. Once again, you guys are awesome. Peace.  
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	18. Come As You Are

_**Summary: **Our team plans their invasion of Fulcrum. How did Anna's "date" go? What will Fulcrum do about Bryce and Casey being at their door. All this and more in chapter 18: Come As You Are  
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_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. If I owned Chuck, Morgan would be dead. No really. That just sucked dude.  
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_**A/N: **Alright, once again, thank you all for the great reviews for chapter 17. It really is a great feeling to know that I have kept you guys entertained for, oh, about 64,000 words. If you haven't noticed, I have started another story entitled **Sarah vs. Ashes of an American Flag **(which is a reference to a Wilco song of course). Fans of this fic needn't worry however. This is still numero uno, and my go to piece for now. Once I finish this story up (hopefully 3 or 4 more chapters and maybe a epilogue), my energy will go fully into that one. For now this one gets the lion's share of the work though. Anyway, I didn't get a beta for this, because when I wanted to post it, nobody was around. Any mistakes are certainly my own. Oh, and looks like Bryce is back next week. So on top of Sarah, Chuck, and Jill all screwing with my story line in canon, let's bring back the other main player I'm using to just blast it all to hell. That's nice writers. Anyway, I'm over it (not really, but I'll live). So, I look forward to you feedback, and I hope you enjoy **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 18: Come As You Are.**_

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_****Spoiler Warning** **Slight spoilers up through 2.21, anything beyond that is conjecture or made up. In fact, judging by the preview of next week, it is completely AU post 2.21 and still largely AU anything past 2.19. Also, if you REALLY don't like being spoiled like at all, you may want to avoid the A/N at the beginning. Too late? Sorry._

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**Tactical Vehicle  
On Route to Fulcrum Holding Facility  
I-70 East, About 90 Miles past I-15 North  
Saturday November 21, 2009  
11:20 PM MST**

This was going to require the best efforts of everyone involved. That included the scientist. Sarah knew she had to try to win her over. If anything went wrong, everything would be lost. Sarah had to be at her best, and as any good leader knew, would have to make sure everyone else was at their best as well.

Fulcrum had caught them in their trap. They'd fallen into it quite easily. It was clear; Fulcrum had intended to take out the members of the team they couldn't capture. Luckily, Sarah and Jill had been banned from field duty, and the rogue cabal had not been aware of Anna Wu's presence with the team. That had saved Casey. Now it was time for the other two women of the group to save Bryce and Chuck.

They were still about two hours outside of their target. Moab, Utah. Something about that place had always stuck with Sarah. She'd only driven through with her father as a child, but it was as if she'd always known that _that_ place was significant. Tonight, she realized just how significant it was. This was the most important mission of her life. It wasn't a mission that ensured national security, or got rid of evil people with dastardly intentions. Okay, it was those things too. But the reason this was so important was the man they were going to rescue. Even if they took down the last remaining remnants of Fulcrum and prevented the Intersect from being exploited to those with less than noble designs for it, if they failed to rescue Chuck…

She couldn't think about that. _Think positive Walker. You WILL rescue Chuck. Then Fulcrum will be done and we can ride off into the sunset._ There were still some issues that needed to be ironed out however.

Turning to the woman riding beside her, Sarah decided it was time for a little bonding. _I have to know I can trust her. She has to trust me._

"Jill, we're going to get them out of there you know." _Good, be reassuring. A good ice breaker._

"Yeah, I guess." Jill sounded uninterested. It was as though she was a million miles away.

_Okay, new tactic. You must get her talking. Try being firm. Even if she gets angry, it might get her focused. _"Jill, you have to get your head in the game. I have to know that you're going to hold up your end." _Good. Commanding voice, stern, but concerned. She may get mad, but she can't hate me for saying that._

Jill sighed. Despite her past squabbles with the blond to her right, Jill thought that maybe…maybe if she opened up to someone, _anyone_, that maybe it would ease her burden.

"It's just…" she paused staring down at her hands. "Bryce and I have not been, shall we say, on the best of terms the past few days. I know I need to save him. And I _want_ to save him. But…what if it never…" Jill let her voice trail off.

_Oh great! Emotional advice. That's something I'm good at. _If talking to yourself was a sign of madness, Sarah wondered how out of it you had to be to be overly sarcastic with yourself. She decided straight forward may be the best way to go.

"Jill, do you believe in fate?"

The brunette shook her head. "Sarah, I have a doctorate of bio-chemistry. I am deeply entrenched in the scientific community. On top of that, I have been involved in the Intelligence Community for a very long time. I don't believe in any superstition."

"That's understandable. I had a terrible childhood. I was recruited into the CIA out of high school and while training, I attended Harvard. I don't need to tell you how looked down upon superstition or anything non-Darwinian is on an Ivy League campus." Sarah was now staring out of the window as she told this story.

"I was just like you for a long, long time. You cut your own deals in life, you know?" Jill nodded in agreement with Sarah's assessment. "That was what I truly believed. Well, I believed that until Black Rock."

"What happened at Black Rock?" Jill had been shocked to learn that the agent had been an Ivy League girl. Perhaps her previous assessments about the woman had been wrong. But the mention of the Fulcrum base in Barstow piqued her interest nearly as much. What would happen there to so change someone?

"We were ordered to take Chuck underground. I was told to use the connection we had to convince him to…well, let's just say I was being ordered to use Chuck's feelings for me to hurt him." Jill was horrified that the government would do that to Chuck. She wasn't shocked by any means, but she was still angry about it.

"I couldn't do it though Jill. I loved him. I told myself at the time that I was only doing it because it was the right thing to do, but that wasn't it. I honestly was already madly in love with him. So we ran." Sarah looked back to Jill to gauge her reaction.

"You ran?" Turns out her reaction was one of surprise.

"We went to Barstow to rescue Chuck's dad. To make a long story short, we were captured; we escaped; we went back and found Chuck's dad; and I came away, not only without being arrested for treason, but without a negative mark on my record."

"And that changed you how?" Jill didn't see the point of this story at all.

"I had long dreamed that I could have a life with Chuck. I had also thought that it would always remain just that –a dream. But I came to a realization there that if he and I could find a way to be together, and it have no negative ramifications, then we might truly be _meant_ to be." In spite of the gravity of the situation, telling that story made Sarah's lips twist up with the faintest trace of a smile.

"And why are you telling me this? I'm not even sure that's 'fate.' But even if it is, what does it have to do with my situation?"

_Alright, Walker, time to bring it home. _"After the mission to Barstow, the Intersect was removed from Chuck's head. He was a free man. He was going back to his normal life. I was reassigned. Do you know who I was going to be paired with?"

"Okay, Sarah. Who were you paired with?" Jill still didn't see where this was going.

"Bryce." That answer was not what Jill was expecting. That meant… "The 'incident' that made Chuck want to come back to this life? If it hadn't happened…if Chuck had just left right then, you would have never been partnered with Bryce. It did happen. But as tragic as it was, I can't help but think it was fate working in our favor. And also Jill…in your favor. If you feel about Bryce like I think you do…and he feels about you like I think he does, then you have nothing to worry about. It will work out. Trust me." Sarah looked down at the floor. That had been an emotional story to tell. Hopefully it had won the other woman over.

Jill thought over what she'd just been told. If Sarah had partnered back with Bryce…she'd still be in prison. Maybe…maybe there was something to this fate thing. Well, there was just one way to find out.

"I'm ready Sarah. Let's go get them back." The woman sitting next to her had gone in Jill's mind from a forced, undesirable partner, to someone Jill knew she could count on in the impending battle. And maybe, if they made it out alive, Sarah Walker could become someone she considered a friend. _But first things first. Let's go get our men._

_

* * *

  
_

**Encore Suites at Wynn  
Las Vegas, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
1:03 PM PST**

Sarah and Chuck reemerged from their room looking very refreshed and slightly spent. They didn't look worried however. _Damn, my telekinesis needs some tinkering, _Jill thought.

"So anything new?" Chuck's voice sounded tired, but happy.

"Uh, yeah. While you two were busy doing…that," Jill said pointing to the bedroom to imply what she meant by 'that.' "Two men, one of who was another member of the council came out of the building. We were able to ascertain that there will be a congress held tomorrow night with all of the Elders, the entire council, and all the regional commanders present. It will be the perfect time to strike. We can take Fulcrum out once and for all. Not that your pleasures of the flesh aren't more important though I suppose." She was clearly annoyed by her two teammates.

"Huh, that _is_ good news. So what's going on with Anna?" Chuck worried about his friend. He knew she was a trained agent now, but that didn't stop him from thinking about her as one of his Nerd Herders.

"Well, her lunch with Lynch went great. The idiot is actually taking her by 'his work.' She did a great job of selling how impressed she was that he 'had a cool government job.' She's going to try to glean any additional information she can while she's there. They don't know her at all, so she can probably get pretty easy access to some kind of security information or something.

"Sounds great!" Since she had come back from her engagement with Chuck, Sarah had not been able to stop smiling. It unnerved her sometimes just how much he affected her mood. She couldn't imagine living without him at this point. _That's a dangerous thought to have in this world Walker._

_

* * *

  
_

**Fulcrum Headquarters  
Security Station  
Apex, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
2:15 PM PST**

Anna couldn't believe that this fool would bring her into the Fulcrum compound. She still wasn't 100% clear about what Fulcrum meant to do, but the fact that this moron was the head of their most important security force didn't bode well for them ever accomplishing those goals.

A man in a dark suit and sunglasses entered the hall Lynch was showing her around. He quickly walked over to where they stood.

"Lynch, is everything for tonight secure?"

"Yes sir." This guy must be a big damn deal. Her "date" seemed to take him very seriously.

"Very good. We have planted the false information with the enemy. They will be showing up tomorrow no doubt. Have your men ready to participate in the ambush. Understood?"

"Of course sir!" He then grabbed Anna's arm and began moving her towards the door. He had obviously forgotten she was there.

"I'm sorry I have to rush you out like this. Important government stuff you know." Anna nodded dumbly. "By the way, it is important that you _not_ remember what you just heard."

"Remember what?" Anna said teasingly, twisting a finger through her hair.

"That's my girl. You'll be around the same spot tomorrow morning?"

"I don't know. My husband might be around…" A coy smile took shape on her face.

"Oh really?" Eric Lynch would play her game for a minute. She was hot enough to warrant that.

"Nah, I can find time for the super secret sexy government man." Anna craned upwards, planting a kiss on the man's cheek. _He's all mine, _she thought.

"Well," he said, blushing. "I guess we better get going."

"Guess so. My _lovely _husband should be back soon." And with that, they departed the Fulcrum facilities and headed back towards the hotel.

* * *

**Encore Suites at Wynn  
Las Vegas, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
4:45 PM PST**

Bryce, Chuck, Casey, Sarah, and Jill sat around the table planning the offensive for the next night. Well, Bryce planned the offensive. He had largely ignored anyone else's input on the issue. Chuck's flash had given them a good idea of the layout of the building. There was a hall that would no doubt play host to the congress. The entrance to the hall was only accessible thought the sub-ground level.

In Bryce's plan, their first tactical unit, led by Casey, would go in first, taking out any security at the door and move upwards, neutralizing any threat from above. The second unit, under Chuck and Anna's command would follow and blaze a path to the entrance to the meeting. After having opened things up, they would surround the hidden area combing for any emergency exits. Chuck would stay behind at the main entrance to aide tactical team three at which point Anna would assume primary command of the second unit.

The final team would be led by Bryce. With a clear path right to the main hall, they would storm the doors of the congress inside. Chuck would stay behind at the door to eliminate anyone trying to escape. Once everyone inside the meeting was either terminated or captured, Chuck would be there to identify who all they had. Thus was the major advantage of a mobile Intersect.

It was a solid plan, so it was hard for any of those present to argue with it. That said, Bryce could have done a little more for team morale by listening to the suggestions of the others.

Just as they were wrapping up, Anna entered the suite. "What's up guys?"

"Oh, you know, Bryce went ahead and planned everything for tomorrow night. Saved us all the trouble." Chuck was clearly annoyed by what had transpired. If everything went as planned however, he wouldn't really complain. His pennants would be paid and he could go live the life he always wanted with Sarah and a clear conscience.

"What, he planned a celebration party for tomorrow night?" Anna asked.

"What, no. They didn't tell you? We're moving tonight." Sarah was confused by Anna's question. Not that Sarah herself had been paying that much attention. It was hard to care when you didn't get to be involved.

"Not unless you want to fall right into their trap." The other five heads snapped up in attention to Anna's statement.

"Ah-ha, I _knew _it was a trap." Jill was rather proud of herself. She wouldn't miss this opportunity to gloat over how wrong Bryce had been.

"Yeah, they knew you guys were listening I think. They said they planted the information with the enemy that the meeting was tomorrow night and to be ready for the assault. The actual meeting is tonight."

"Holy hell! We only have a few hours to get everything ready." Bryce jumped up in a panic. The other two men, more calmly began gathering their equipment and preparing for the mission. After taking in the sight, Anna too began to prepare.

Glancing over at the two analysts for the night, she asked what the plan was exactly. "You and Chuck will have a tactical team. It's all pretty paint-by-numbers, Anna. You shouldn't have any problems with it." _I just wish I was in on it, _thought Sarah dejectedly. She really wasn't good at inactivity.

It sounded easy enough, and Anna was sure it would be explained further on location. She moved back to preparing for the impending attack.

* * *

**Outside Fulcrum Headquarters  
Apex, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
7:58 PM PST**

All teams were ready to go. They were to move at eight o'clock exactly. Two minutes out, tensions were high. Chuck looked more nervous than Casey had seen the nerd look in a long time. He looked almost like 'Asset Chuck' instead of Agent Bartowski. The NSA agent wasn't sure how exactly he should feel about that. Right now however, if the curly headed man could somehow channel that Carmichael he was always talking about, it would really be for the best.

"Walker, you might want to have a few words with your boy toy. I don't know if he just misses you or what but he looks like he's about to vomit and faint in it."

Sarah, back in the suite watching the monitors, rolled her eyes. "I'll talk to him Casey. I'm sure he'll be fine." She switched channels so that she could speak privately to Chuck. "Sweetie, is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, um, it's just…I' m scared I'm going to screw this up Sarah. You know…how I _always _screw things up." Casey had been right. Chuck was clearly on edge. She knew she had to do something to calm him down.

"Chuck, you do NOT always screw things up. You are amazing. Just stay focused, keep your head down and get the job done. Then come back to me and we can start the rest of our lives, okay?" _Firm and decided tone, yet nurturing words. That should do the trick._

"You're right Sarah. I'll do what I have to do." He began to walk back towards his team, but paused first. "I love you."

"I love you too Chuck. I'll see you soon." _I better see you soon Chuck Bartowski. I'd hate to have to wipe out all of Fulcrum single handedly if anything happens to you._

Bryce was a picture of calm. He knew his plan would work. This is exactly the kind of operation he was trained to lead. This was the moment he had been waiting on since Operation Sandwall had begun. Tonight, it all ended. When his team was finished, so too would be Fulcrum. He would finally be able to return to more global problems and be rid of this domestic threat. Travelling had always been one of his favorite parts of the job. He'd really missed it. When he and Sarah were globetrotting across the world, it had been the most romantic, thrilling time of his life. She probably wouldn't admit to it now, what with Chuck and everything, but he knew she'd enjoyed it too. Now he had Jill…

Jill. He knew he'd treated her poorly since the fight at the Orange Orange. Okay, poorly was an understatement. He had treated her like less than a human. He wasn't one for sappy last words so he wouldn't make some 'if I die' request over the com, but if, no when he got out of there, he'd make it up to her. He made that promise to himself. While he was great at the deception part of this job, a promise was something Bryce Larkin didn't go back on. He was ready to get this under way.

John Casey was clearly in his element. Leading a team of highly trained killers into a compound with the explicit purpose of mowing down bad guys was what he lived for. It had been too long since he'd gotten to do work of this sort. It's not that he didn't appreciate the finer points of old fashioned spy work, but there was something to be said for brute force. Tonight, military John got to rule the roost. Sneaky John would take a back seat. Tonight was going to be a lot of fun. Fulcrum wasn't ready for this brand of ass kicking.

Anna Wu showed a very calm expression on her face. Her insides were anything but calm however. She was beyond excited to be participating in her first major op. She was also quite nervous. This was an important mission. The fate of the country largely hinged on the success of said mission. On top of that, the lives of two people she'd come to think of as friends were firmly in the balance tonight. Chuck had been a role model to Anna since she went to work at the Buy More. He was so smart, and funny, and warm. She couldn't bear to think of him not making it out.

Also there was Casey. He was such a gruff, grizzly bear on the outside, but Anna knew better. The fact that he had, if only slightly, opened up to her on her first night with the team had meant a lot. She could tell he was not the type to share personal information with just anyone. She knew he could protect himself, but she still worried about him.

Then it dawned on her that she had better worry about herself. Her two friends had been here before. These types of missions were always dangerous. That said, they knew what they were doing. She put her game face on and prepared to move out. It would take her best to help make sure tonight was a success. Anna Wu planned on giving nothing less.

All four commanders waited with their teams. They were t-minus thirty seconds to movement.

"Everyone ready?" Bryce asked through the com.

"Roger," came three voices through the speakers.

"We're ready on movement," voiced Sarah from back in the control room.

"Alright team one, on your marks. You move in 10…9…8...7…6…5…4…3…2…move out Casey!"

* * *

_**A/N:** Our units are moving in! How will it go? How do Bryce and Chuck get captured? Will Sarah and Jill be in time? WIll Casey and Anna take down Ken Adams? All coming up in future installments of **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**_

_Once again, thank you for reading, and please, please let me know what you think. Feedback is a vital part of the reader-author relationship and let's me know what you guys want to see. So click that little review button down there and let me have it. What was good about this chapter? What could have been better? What character is making you sick? I want to know all of that stuff. I so look forward to the reviews. Anyway, as always, you guys are awesome. Peace.  
_


	19. Very Ape

_**Summary: **Our team moves in for the attack on Fulcrum. What will go wrong? Will anything go right? Will the real Chuck please stand up? Not so fast Assassin Chuck. All this and more in **ch. 19: Very Ape.**  
_

_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. Let's hope that after Monday night, NBC, who DOES own Chuck decide they still want the Chuckster around.  
_

_**A/N: **Alright, once again, awesome feedback for chapter 18. You guys really make it a lot of fun to put this stuff out. I know there has been a day between updates for this story, but with the feedback I got for just the prologue of **Ashes** I thought I owed everyone at least chapter 1 on that story. Again, this story gets first dibs until it's finished (which it is winding down now...I'm sure you can tell we're headed towards something). I would say 3 or so more chapters to go in this one. After it's done, I will work mostly on **Ashes**, but I think there could be a sequel in this. I'll ask for your opinion on that when this one is done. I move around kind of fast in this chapter...both in the flash forward and the flash back. The events are almost all connected, but I made it a point to denote major scene changes. Again, the action moves a little fast, so I'd love some feedback on if I moved too quickly, or more to point, just how I did with writing action. I'm not really that experienced with writing that stuff, so a little blurb about how it came across would be just fantastic. Anyway, all mistakes are my own. I got a little proofread from someone who shall remain nameless, because, well, I'm sure she doesn't want her name connected with this, hehe. Anyway, now I present to you **Bryce and Jill vs. Chuck and Sarah Ch. 19: Very Ape.**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

**Fulcrum Holding Facility  
Moab, UT  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
1:15 AM MST**

"Bryce!" Chuck did his best to rouse his friend but his voice was in tatters from his screams of anguish under torture. What had been meant to be a yell was barely above a whisper. "Bryce!" he tried again. Still Bryce didn't awaken.

Mustering every last ounce of strength that he had, Chuck pulled himself up on the chains he was bound from and swung his legs out to make contact with the other man. Finally Bryce was roused from his slumber.

"Huh? What? Chuck, what's wrong?" Always the agent, Bryce Larkin was fast to become aware of his surroundings. "What's that noise?"

"That noise is the reason I was trying to wake you up to begin with asshole!" Chuck's voice was almost gone, but if that noise was what he thought it was, he wouldn't need to save it for much longer. _A corpse doesn't really need a voice, much less a corpse that is burnt to a crisp or disintegrated altogether._ And if he was going to die, Chuck Bartowski was not going to miss one last opportunity to call Bryce and 'asshole.'

"Well why the hell did you wake me up? There's not a whole helluva lot we can do about it from here douchebag." Bryce's voice wasn't nearly as strained as Chuck's. That said he was certainly on board with getting one final good natured parting shot at his best friend.

* * *

**Sarah and Jill's Tactical Vehicle  
15 Minutes Away from Fulcrum Base in Moab  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
1:16 AM MST**

Meanwhile just fifteen minutes away from the facility, a blond woman reached for her buzzing iPhone.

"Walker, secure."

"You got them?" Sarah turned to the other people in the vehicle. "Casey and Anna did it. Ken Adams along with six other high ranking Fulcrum members including the remaining Elder is dead." There was rejoicing from others in the car, but Sarah had her own problems to deal with.

"Wait. What was that Casey?"

* * *

**Casey's Suburban  
In Route to Las Vegas  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
12:22 PM PST**

"I said you need to pull out. Two Reapers have been deployed to blow the facility. It was too dangerous. You know they're probably gone anyway Walker. Even if they're not…"

"So you would just leave them behind Casey? Why would they do this? Why can't we have the chance to save him?" The emotion in Sarah's pained words was evident even through the phone. Casey knew she didn't need instruction right now, she needed a friend. He wasn't sure that was a hat he had in his bag, but it was worth a shot.

"Sarah, you have to turn around. You know Chuck would want you to be safe. You have to turn around or you'll be dead too. So will all the men you have with you. So will Roberts." _I think that was friendly, come on now Walker, make the right decision._

"I can't Casey. I love him." In her mind, that was all the argument that was needed.

"I know you-"

"No you don't! You don't know anything Casey! If I don't try to save him…I could never live with myself." And Sarah disconnected the call. She appreciated what her partner was trying to do, but she _was_ going to get to Chuck. She _would _save him. Tonight was supposed to be the start of their life together. He was _not_ going to miss that.

* * *

**Sarah and Jill's Tactical Vehicle  
10 Minutes Away from Fulcrum Base in Moab  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
1:21 AM MST**

"Predators?" Jill asked with a guarded tone.

"Reapers," Sarah responded. The somber tenor her voice had taken put the situation into perspective.

Jill sighed. All this way…she'd really thought they had a chance to save them. Sometimes she really hated the government they worked for. Why would they give up on two people who had given so much to the 'greater good' so quickly? A sad thought came to mind for Jill. She decided to share it with the other woman.

"You know, it's a shame Chuck and Bryce aren't here. They could probably find a way to gain control of those UAV's. They were always geniuses with that stuff. Back at Stanford-"Jill's trip down memory lane was cut off, as her speech had given the blond an idea.

"Maybe they _could_, Jill. But I know who _can_!" Scrolling through her contact, Sarah found a number she had almost forgotten she had. _Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up! You have to be there! _Then the other line was answered.

"Mr. Bartowski? It's Sarah."

"Alright, fine, Dad." _That Bartowski charm never fails does it?_

'Listen…_Dad_…Chuck's in trouble…"

* * *

**Fulcrum Headquarters  
Apex, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
8:00 PM PST**

The gathered congress of Fulcrum elite had all arrived and was awaiting the beginning of what would be an important meeting to the future of the organization. Never had so many of the cabal's dignitaries been gathered in one place. Just as the meeting was coming to order, an alarm sounded throughout the building, followed by a voice giving instructions.

"Everyone please remain calm. Security, enact Plan 81-11. I repeat, everyone please remain calm. We have an 81-11 situation."

With the instruction, the Fulcrum security detail and combat units went into action.

Walking over to Fulcrum's lead council, the lady Elder addressed the man. "Adams, you assured me that your trap would not be sprung until tomorrow night! What is the meaning of this?"

"I don't know Madam Elder! We must have a mole amongst us. No matter, we were prepared for an early strike as well. This should still be taken care of!" Ken Adams may have been intimidated by his Fulcrum superior, but he was fully confident in his plan to eliminate the two teams that had been such thorns in the organizations side over the past months.

Casey's team stormed the door. The first group of combatants they met offered little resistance. The twenty man crew was taken down with ease by Team 1's front line. The first unit in proceeded to move upwards to ward off threat from above.

"Chuck, Anna, You're a go!" Bryce was fully in command at this point.

As Team 2 entered the compound, a second wave of security met them at the front entrance. This group proved to be much stiffer opposition and the second unit suffered several casualties, but were eventually able to move down towards the eventual target. They were able to wipe clean the security surrounding the meeting room with more ease than the group that had met them originally and soon had the hidden room surrounded on all sides. Chuck took his place at the front entrance to the room and awaited the arrival of Team 3.

Having cleared the upstairs area, Casey's team split, with half of the unit going back to the main floor to provide any needed cover for Bryce's team.

The final unit moved in, marching unabated to the hidden room as the plan had entailed. They burst through the doors of the Fulcrum congress and began opening fire. Bryce came through his men, barking out orders to leave _some _survivors for questioning. Most of his men were not listening.

Fulcrum's elite were dropping left and right. The units that had invaded had been much larger and more skilled than Adams had anticipated. Within minutes, everyone in the room representing Fulcrum was either dead or had surrendered. The few that had tried to use emergency escapes had met their fate at the hands of Team 2.

Rather pleased that his plan had worked so well, _and quite easily_, Bryce added to himself, he motioned for Chuck to come in and start ID'ing who had been captured and killed. Only members of the board of Elders and the council were considered for arrest. Anyone who fell below that on the Fulcrum food chain was executed on sight. All in all, it was a blood bath in favor of Bryce's Boys. _Okay, I was really just trying that name on for size. Maybe it's not quite right. There will be time to work on a name before the next mission._

Bryce instructed the unit that now belonged solely to Anna to begin removing the prisoners that had been taken. As Team 2 began escorting the now captured Fulcrum leaders out of the sub-ground level, The Garnet Army in full force stormed the doors like the three governments units had before them. Clearly not prepared for the attack, Team 1 was mowed down rather quickly, only a few survivors, including the groups' leader, Major John Casey, left standing to continue the fight. The remainder of Team 2 quickly streamed up the stairs to support their comrades.

With the exit of Team 2, Team 3 and Chuck were left to fend for themselves underground. There had been no sign of imminent threat, so it wasn't really a problem, until…

"Let's head up and give support to those guys up top. They need us to make sure no one escapes." Bryce was still clearly in charge of the operation. The team stormed out of the room and towards the stairs to lend their support.

After the team had assimilated out of the area, Bryce and Chuck moved to follow them…only to be sealed inside the room by reinforced, sliding mechanical doors.

"Chuck! There's a survivor at the front of the room moving towards a lever." Chuck heard the cry through his earwig and turned to look for the threat Sarah had identified for him. He quickly spotted the target she was talking about. Before he could pull the trigger however…

_Two trains colliding_

_A woman in military dress_

_The same woman providing medical care in what appeared to be a tent in the desert_

_The same woman holding a small child_

_Two trains colliding_

It dawned on Chuck that this woman wasn't evil at all. She was a field medic for the military. She had a child. She wasn't even armed. Certainly he couldn't shoot her in cold blood.

"Chuck, take her NOW!" Bryce ordered.

The tall nerd lifted his gun and took aim at the…poor defenseless, good person. He fired…

* * *

**Fulcrum Headquarters  
Main Floor  
Tuesday November 17, 2009**

Back upstairs, the remaining members of the teams, which along with the two leaders that were with them totaled only about forty in number, began hustling the surviving prisoners out the door. Casey moved to follow the group, only to be confronted by what appeared to be the last standing member of the Garnet Army. His weapon at the ready, he led the Major back into the building.

"I believe this is the part where you say good bye Agent Casey." The man took aim at the hulking NSA agent and began for fire…until he saw someone that shouldn't be here standing to his right.

"Anna?"

"Hi, Eric." Anna's voice was far too sweet for the situation. "Meet my husband."

"Your…" Eric Lynch lost his focus. This was a fatal mistake when you stood face to face with John Casey. Not wasting the opportunity, the Major knocked the gun from the hand of the Garnet Army's leader and pulled his own pistol level with the Fulcrum stooge. With a squeeze of his trigger, Casey put a bullet in the forehead of Lynch, killing him instantly.

"Let's get out of here." Casey motioned for Anna to join him.

"What about Bryce and Chuck…they're still down there!" Anna was in a panic. She couldn't fathom leaving anyone behind.

"We don't have time! They just had more show up!" And indeed more Fulcrum support had pulled up outside. About eighty strong, they doubled the numbers the government squads had left. Fleeing for the vehicles, Anna and Casey were just able to get inside before a barrage of gunfire came their way. The Fulcrum force took down several of the remaining troops from the three teams, freeing seven of the hostages in their effort. The other ten hostages and the remaining members of the team were able to escape.

Fulcrum had been struck what may be a deadly blow that day, but seven high ranking officials remained, along with eighty combat trained troops. And now Chuck and Bryce were still inside the base. Casey wondered how long they would survive. _If they're not dead already, _he thought grimly.

* * *

**Fulcrum Headquarters  
Sub-ground Level  
Tuesday November 17, 2009**

It dawned on Chuck that this woman wasn't evil at all. She was a field medic for the military. She had a child. She wasn't even armed. Certainly he couldn't shoot her in cold blood.

"Chuck, take her NOW!" Bryce ordered.

The tall nerd lifted his gun and took aim at the…poor defenseless, good person. He fired…missing the "target" by at least five feet. _Can you really refer to anything as a target that you miss that badly? _

The woman finished her crawl to the lever on the front wall of the room. With what seemed to be the last of her strength, she pulled it, sealing the entire room with a reinforced steel barrier. Then the room started to fill with gas. Knowing he would soon lose consciousness, Chuck took off his GPS tracking watch and broke it on the floor. Taking a small chip from within the busted timepiece, he swallowed it. Chuck then looked up to see Bryce already giving in to the affects of the gas. _Huh, lightweight._ Then everything was dark.

* * *

**Encore Suites at Wynn  
Las Vegas, NV  
Tuesday November 17, 2009  
10:08 PM PST**

She switched channels. Chuck had gone to static after he missed the shot. Frantic, Sarah tried Bryce to the same result. Finally she switched over to Casey.

"Casey, what the hell's going on? I lost Chuck! Where are you?" Despite her best efforts, the panic in her voice was evident.

"We're on the way back." _Dammit, I'm going to hate this next part._

"Oh, okay, why did I lose Chuck? Can I speak with him?" _Thank God. For a minute there I was going to freak out._

"No."

"No? What the hell Casey?"

"Walker…Chuck's still in there. We got separated and…he and Bryce…we don't know if they're still alive and captured, or just dead. We got outnumbered pretty bad. We had our prisoners. Wu and I had to bail. I don't know what else to tell you Sarah." And John really felt sympathy for his partner. As much as he gave them a hard time, he knew what Chuck and Sarah meant to one another. Hell, they both meant a bunch to him, and he'd never slept with either of them nor would he. _Bartowski's sister on the other hand…this isn't the time John!_

"We have to get him back Casey!" It was not a request. It was a desperate declaration.

"We'll do what we can Sarah."

"No John! We _will_ get him back! I'll do it if I have to go myself. They will _not_ hurt my Chuck!" _Huh, the "Walker Doctrine," _Casey thought.

"We can plan a rescue, but we need to know what we're doing. Running in there blind isn't helping anyone. Hell, if we go in there, we give them some insurance. They can risk killing them if they have more bodies to question. Is that what you want Walker?" He understood her pain, but she needed to start acting like an agent and not like a girlfriend.

Steeling herself, Sarah realized what her partner was trying to get out of her. "I understand Casey. You're right. It is a time to be professional. Speaking of professions, the advantage of being an assassin John? If they hurt Chuck; if they do something to _my_ Chuck; I can kill every last one of those mother fuckers and I will still be acting professionally. That's all I have to say Major. I'll see you when we return."

Sarah calmly went back to the room she and Chuck had shared just last night. The team -or what was left of the team- would gather back soon. She knew she needed to get this out before Casey returned. Sarah collapsed on the bed, cradling the pillow Chuck had slept on the night before. It still smelled like him. She buried her face and sobbed uncontrollably. Soon the time for crying would be over. When Casey and Anna returned, she would have to turn back into Agent Walker. Chuck needed her to do that. For now however, for as long as it took them to return, she would just be Sarah. She was Sarah, the girl that missed and was worried sick about her boyfriend.

* * *

**Fulcrum Safe House  
Seattle, Washington  
Wednesday November 18, 2009  
3:27 AM PST**

This was all that was left of Fulcrum's leaders? One Elder, three council members (one of whom was Ken Adams, who while a senior member, was the one who brought this attack on the organization), and three regional commanders? Certainly this couldn't be all that was left. There was of course the eighty-two man special ops unit that saved the seven present, but none of those men were qualified to be leaders. They were soldiers. They were damn fine soldiers, but they were not meant to play the role of leader…not yet anyway. From here, the seven that had escaped would have to come up with a way to regroup.

Too many unforeseen things had happened during the attack. First, there was far more man power from the enemy than expected. Underestimating your opponent is a Cardinal Sin in this game. Secondly, Walker and Roberts didn't join on the attack. Whether by design or dumb luck, that part had thrown the plan out of wack. Third, there was a new member to the team. She was not simply a part of the tactical team. She was clearly an agent on the level of the other usual suspects. They had some tape of her however. A little background info and they'd be all up to speed on this…whoever she was.

Even as bad as things had gone, if they could just somehow confirm that they had gotten at least _one_ hostage…

And then as if the Elders prayers had been answered, the secure line into the safe house rang.

"Jones, secure," the Elder answered.

"Secure, this is ops leader Alpha. Sir, we have Larkin _and _Bartowski."

_Huh, all the screw ups and we still got our two hostages. And not just any two, but the two we coveted most. Very good. Very good indeed. _"This is good news soldier. What condition are the two in? Are they stable enough to transport?"

"Yes sir. They were merely incapacitated by the gas in the chamber room."

"Excellent. Please transport our guest to _Wagon Master_."

"Done sir. Oh, and sir, we made sure to remove any items that may contain tracking devices. Both were wearing watches, although Bartowski's seemed to be destroyed in the battle. We should be clean for transport."

"You have done an excellent job soldier. Contact us when you get to Moab. Jones out."

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_**A/N: **Bryce and Chuck are now officially in custody of Fulcrum. Will PapaB be able to help Sarah in her rescue attempt? How does the team learn where everyone is? Did I intentionally put the Fulcrum Safe House in Seattle so I could crowbar in the name of another Nirvana song for the next chapter (you bet I did!)? All these questions (at leat the one's I didn't already answer in the a/n) will be answered in future installments of **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**_

_Thank you, thank you everyone for reading. Thank you even more those of you who take the time to review. Oh, and I replied to a **JMG** review with this, but I'll stick it in here too...you CANNOT be a Chuck fanfic writer without having mentioned Moab, UT at least once. At least that's how I understand it. Thus the location of the Fulcrum Holding Facility codenamed Wagon Master (which was a film shot in Moab in the 30's, snoik). Anyway, let me know how you feel...that' what they put that little review button down there for. So just press it and let the magic happen...just don't get any in the curtains...it's hard to get it out you know. As I always like to end these things, you guys are awesome. Peace.  
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	20. Francis Farmer

_**Summary: **How will Beckman react to Bryce and Chuck's capture? How will the team save them? Where are the escaped Fulcrum leaders? What's up with Ellie? All this and more in **chapter 20: Francis Farmer.**  
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_**Disclaimer: **I don't own Chuck. Probably a good thing for the actors. A 13 episode order, psssh. Try a 365 episode order. That's right! I'm talking about Truman Show kind of stuff here! That's how I want my Chuck. But alas, NBC owns it and even 13 episodes are in doubt. *sobs*  
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_**A/N: **Some good reviews for chapter 19. This one was a little harder to write. I don't know if it's just because I've been tired the past couple of days or what's going on, but I apologize for the wait. I kind of had to break this chapter off a little earlier than I would have liked, but if I hadn't ended it where I did, it would have taken at least another day to get it out, and I've taken long enough with this chapter. Because it took me so long to write, I didn't spend as much time editing...so I know there will be some slip-ups in here. I'm sorry for that, but I just really didn't want to look at this chapter anymore....it was making my eyes sore. Speaking of eyes, funny story about this chapter. Ever heard someone say "So easy you could do it with your eyes closed?" Of course you have. Well, the first probably 800 words or so were actually written with my eyes closed much of the time. The perils of committing to write and forgetting you have a golf tournament to play in, then coming home from said tourney exhausted and slightly sunburned. Anyway, I won't bore you with anymore of that particular story. On with the show! Please enjoy **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 20: Francis Farmer.**_

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**Encore Suites at Wynn  
Las Vegas, NV  
Wednesday November 18, 2009  
8:05 AM PST**

"First let me say that I have not come to this decision easily. I understand what Agents Larkin and Bartowski have done for their country and the sacrifices they have made. It is so then with great remorse that I must deny your request for a search and rescue mission Agent Casey. You and Agent Wu will instead be tasked with the recovery of the escaped Fulcrum leaders."

The news hit everyone present in the room like a ton of bricks. They would not be allowed to rescue their partners. Fulcrum may well have failed at their primary objective, but they will have succeeded in destroying the lives of Bryce Larkin and Chuck Bartowski.

"General, what about me?" Sarah could not stand to think of Chuck in danger with no one to rescue him. She was supposed to protect him, even if he wasn't an asset anymore.

"Agent Walker, as you know, neither you nor Agent Roberts are cleared for field duty. You will continue to provide analytical services to Agents Casey and Wu."

"That's bullshit General!" This line of thought wasn't going to fly with the blonde.

"Excuse me Agent Walker?" the General asked in a threatening tone.

Staring into the image of Beckman on the monitor, Sarah's voice grew a hard and dangerous edge. "If you refuse to allow Casey and Anna to go look for Chuck…and Bryce, then why would you waste someone that could make the rescue doing this crap?"

"Sarah…" Beckman knew the younger woman would be upset at the news. Despite the impenetrable façade her job required her to show, the General knew how much Walker and Bartowski meant to one another. "Even if I allowed you to go look for them, we have no idea where to look. We have been absolutely unable to break any of the Fulcrum prisoners taken in last night's bust, and even if we could, we don't know if they would have that information. The remaining three escaped prisoners, however, would more than likely know where to locate the missing agents. Find them, and we may still have time to rescue the other members of your team."

"But General, we _don't_ have that time! You know that if capture the missing Fulcrum leaders it will inevitably lead to Chuck and Bryce being killed. There would be no reason to keep them alive anymore!"

"Look, Agent Walker, I respect your position, but we wouldn't even know where to start looking." It had not been an easy decision to give up on two men who had given so much.

"I might know how we could find out." Jill joined the conversation for the first time.

"What? How Agent Roberts? What source would you use?"

"Well General, first of all, rest assured my source could also tell us where the seven missing Fulcrum prisoners are hiding. This intel will not be easy to come by so I only ask one thing in exchange for me going to these lengths. Allow Agent Walker and I to lead a search and rescue for Bryce and Chuck, I can get it for you."

"Agent Roberts, I am not in the business of making deals. If you have such information, you are expected to pass it along."

"Understood General, however, this may be a one time opportunity to speak with the person in question about matters related to Fulcrum. I only want to be given the go ahead to pursue our missing partners."

Beckman sighed. "Very well Agent Roberts. Once we have the location of the Fulcrum hiding place, you two will cleared to lead a rescue operation. Your support will be minimal as we are already stretched thin and we certainly need our best people with Agent Casey and Agent Wu. That said, I wish you the best of luck. That will be all."

As Beckman signed off, the four remaining members of the team began deliberating on just how this assignment was to go down.

"First things first. Let me call my contact." Jill took out her phone and left the room.

"Yeah."

"Uncle Bernie, this is Jill, are you secure?"

"Yeah, I'm…Jill I heard you were working for _them_. Why are you calling me?"

"It's a cover Uncle Bernie. A cover some of the idiots in the organization seem intent on blowing. Now, I called you for a reason. I have some information you might be interested in learning."

"Really Jill? And what would that be?" Bernie sounded unimpressed. _What could she possibly have learned that I don't already know._

"I know Orion is. I know how you can find him."

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**Fulcrum Holding Facility  
Moab, UT  
Wednesday November 18, 2009  
12:15 PM MST**

"Mr. Bartowski, this will all be over for you if you will just let me know where your father is." It was odd to Chuck that after inflicting such pain on him, that the man in front of him could speak with such a calming voice.

"Fine, you want to know where Orion is?" Chuck gave an almost imperceptible wink to Bryce who had been forced to watch as his friend was tortured.

"Chuck, Don't! If you tell them, they'll kill us. They'll have no reason to leave us alive!" Bryce knew Chuck wanted him to play along and he had obliged.

"Orion is dead! Remember that concert _you _helped blow up back in May? He was there."

The soldier interrogating the men was horrified. It couldn't be true that Fulcrum themselves had destroyed the only man that could possibly help them regain their footing and finally strike another blow to the current establishment.

"You're lying!" _Please let him be lying._

"No…I'm not. He is buried at Rose Hill Memorial Park under the pseudonym Morgan Grimes." Chuck's face did not betray his lie in the least. It almost scared him how good he had gotten at weaving these tall tales. _I wonder if I've rubbed off on Sarah as much as she has on me. Maybe I should see if she's learned to speak Klingon yet._

The interrogator stormed out of the room. He would need to confirm that there really was a 'Morgan Grimes' buried at Rose Hill. If there was…well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it. If worse came to worst, Orion's son may be able to help them. He was bound to have picked something up from his old man, right?

"Good going Chuck…I think he bought it." Bryce was impressed by how good his friend had been in that situation.

"Nah, I don't think he did…but he has to keep us around for now. Once he figures out that the name I gave him is really on a headstone, he will have to have a contingency plan. He will figure that I would have to know something about the Intersect…and you _certainly_ should know something about it. It gives us some more time for someone to find us." Chuck was rather pleased that once again he had been saved by his quick thinking. _Now if you could learn how to shoot like a man, maybe you wouldn't be in this mess in the first place._

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**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange  
Burbank, CA  
Wednesday November 18, 2009  
6:49 PM PST**

For an already overstressed, overworked group of spies, the trip back to California to find Jill's 'Uncle' Bernie had seemed to take forever. Finally they had the man that Jill had said could lead them to the missing seven Fulcrum leaders and Chuck and Bryce.

Apprehending the potential source had been much easier than had been anticipated. With the now gaping hole in Fulcrum's defenses, Bernie's personal security detail had been recalled and was now guarding people he described as "more important in the organization." It was apparent from this statement that these guards had been allocated to wherever the seven missing were.

The corpulent man sat in the interrogation room in Castle surrounded on all sides. To his right was the mean, gruff looking John Casey. Behind him stood the petite but clearly intense Anna Wu. Left of him was the girl that had grown up calling him Uncle Bernie, Jill Roberts. Jill did not at all look like the sweet, loving girl that he had always thought of as family.

But as scary as all three of those figures were in their own way, they all paled in comparison to the blonde haired, blue eyed ball of fury that stood directly in Bernie's immediate field of vision. The toe-headed woman paced in front of him with a predatory glare directed at his bound form. Although the room was technically silent, words seemed to scream from the eyes of the tigress that appeared to stare though the Fulcrum ambassador.

Jill didn't want to see what Sarah would do to the man if she didn't get the answers she wanted. One answer in particular would, if withheld, more than likely seal the fate of her Dad's long time friend. Trying to cut the inevitable confrontation off at the pass, Jill spoke first.

"Uncle Bernie, we will gladly let you go if you can simply tell us where Fulcrum's remaining power is hiding, and where they are holding the two CIA agents they have taken hostage." Her tone was flat and emotionless. Inside she was a bundle of nerves for multiple reasons, but showing her fear and anxiety wasn't going to help the situation.

"Jill, you know I can't tell you that. I would gladly die first." Bernie was a lot of things, but a traitor was not one of them. He would remain loyal to Fulcrum until the bitter end if necessary.

"That can be arranged," said John Casey in a cold, decidedly angry tone. He drew his gun and pointed it directly between the eyes of their prisoner.

"No Casey." Sarah's voice was a picture of chilling detachment. She was in what Chuck would call "full on agent mode." _But Chuck's not here to call it that, now is he Walker? And this man can help remedy that problem._

Sarah looked over at Chuck's ex-girlfriend, and then turned her gaze to the short Asian woman who stood opposite Sarah herself. "Anna, would you and Jill please give us a moment." Anna quickly began to leave the room. She grabbed Jill by the arm and pulled her from her spot she seemed reluctant to give up with her.

Once the two other agents had left the room, Sarah began pacing again. She was not trying to think of a way to handle the interrogation. She was simply trying to calm herself enough to not kill the man that faced her before she could get the information she needed. The General would be disappointed in just what Sarah had decided was "needed" and what was superfluous.

She stopped her furious marching and leaned in close to the chair that held the fat man. A focused intensity shown through her eyes, and a soft but very dangerous tone emitted from her lips. "Bernie, you are going to tell me where I can find Agents Bartowski and Larkin. Do you know why?" Bernie didn't answer her, but the fear he had of Sarah was evident. "You are going to tell me because, although my partner wants to kill you, I wouldn't let him."

She paused here, turning her back to him to stare off into space. The danger in her voice however didn't waiver. "I didn't keep you alive because I'm a good person, or to help you in any way. I kept you alive because I have things far worse than death in mind for you, Bernie."

The captive's will to maintain a stoic and unaffected disposition wilted under the insinuation of threat from the lady agent. He could see the sincerity of the implied threat in her icy blue eyes. If he didn't talk –and quite possibly even after he talked- his life would end slowly and painfully. The dark desires of his jailer left no other possibility. His throat clinched under the weight of his situation. Swallowing back the nerves that had seemed to collect at the opening to his windpipe, he decided talking was his best option.

Bernie only wished that he knew all of the information this woman wanted. He could tell them where the Fulcrum leaders had fled. That contingency plan had long been in place. As for where the other members of his captors' team had been taken, he was at a loss. Fulcrum had holding facilities all over the country. He could have lied and hazarded a guess, but even then when they found out he was wrong, he would suffer the consequences. So he'd told the truth. He'd told her that he didn't know.

Only three people ever knew what exactly happened in that interrogation room. None of them would ever speak of it. One of them would never speak again. Casey ordered a cleanup unit as Sarah stormed from the room.

"So did you find out where they were?" Jill was just as worried as Sarah, but she wouldn't dare tell the blonde that. In fact, she wouldn't tell Sarah anything that could possibly be taken the wrong way at the moment. Chuck's girlfriend was clearly ready to do something horrible to someone…or anyone really.

"Hell no! Great source by the way Jill! We have to go to Seattle. The seven Fulcrum escapees are there." Sarah's voice carried an edge that was quite inappropriate for civil conversation. It was perfect for scaring the hell out of anyone who heard it however.

Casey walked out the interrogation area. A haunted expression was visible across his face. John Casey had seen many horrifying things in his day. Hell, he'd _done _many horrifying things in his day. The display he'd just seen from his partner however was beyond disturbing. She had always been the more human of the two, but what Casey had just seen was anything but human. Sarah became a monster when Chuck's life was in danger. At that moment, Casey was glad he'd never had to terminate Bartowski. He was equally glad that Sarah Walker never knew that he had been supposed to at some point.

"When are we going to Seattle?" Sarah demanded of the lone male presence.

"We?" Casey was snapped out of his daze. _Toughen up John! _"You" he pointed at Sarah "are not going to Seattle. As I understand it, you are still suspended from field duty. Agent Wu and I will be going to Seattle. You and Roberts will be going back to our temporary base in Las Vegas to analyze the mission."

"I most certainly will not! Those people might know where _my _Chuck is! I will be getting that information from them." She was furious that her partner would try to keep her from finding her boyfriend.

"You're too emotional Sarah!" She was not acting like an agent and she knew it. Casey had to get her back in control. "We'll stay here tonight, and then we can head back tomorrow. We'll head out for the safe house we found out about tomorrow night."

Admitting defeat, Sarah nodded. They did have a mission. Hopefully when it was all done, Chuck would still be alive to rescue. _Hang in there my love. I will find a way to get to you._

Deciding a nice workout might settle her some, Sarah began walking back towards the gym that had been put in Castle. Before she could make it to the room however, she heard a ringing sound coming from the interrogation room. Sprinting to the room containing the badly disfigured body of Jill's 'Uncle' Bernie, Sarah searched the corpse for the source of the noise. Finding an iPhone clipped to his belt, she discovered he had been sent a text from an unknown number. _This might be Fulcrum! Maybe they're letting him know where Chuck is._ She opened the message and read simply:

_Package in hand. Travis Blue and Sandy Owens are on the job.  
-G_

_Dammit! What the hell is that supposed to mean? _It had to be some kind of code. Forwarding the message to herself, Sarah had received her own mission. It was assigned by herself, and to herself. She would crack this code and figure out where Chuck was. Then she would go, by herself if needed, and rescue him. Then they'd live happily ever after. _Okay, we'll get to that last part later. Right now, just focus on the code._

Sarah set out to accomplish her goal. She began combing through every intelligence source she could find. So far, no luck finding this Owens and Blue. _Whoever they were, they had better be ready to receive the wrath of hell when Sarah Walker laid her hands on them. They could always ask Bernie if they had reason to be afraid. No wait, they can't. He's already seen what I can, no, will do._

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**Ellie and Awesome's House  
Sherman Oaks, CA  
Wednesday November 18, 2009  
8:05 PM PST**

Ellie and Devon were enjoying a nice quiet dinner together. Well, Devon was enjoying his dinner. Ellie was merely picking at her food, deep in contemplation.

"Honey, do you think Chuck is alright? We haven't heard anything from them in a couple of days. Shouldn't they have called us up to say they were alright? Or if they needed medical attention, they would have called us right?" Ellie fell into the overprotective sister mode all too easy. Devon usually found it endearing, but he knew Chuck wouldn't want her worrying about him. Devon didn't worry anymore. Who knew how many times Chuck and the team had gone on missions? At the end of the day they always came back. They were the very best. He had been told that not only by the team themselves, but even General Beckman had acknowledged just how good they were.

"Babe, I'm sure you have nothing to be worried about. Chuck knows what he's doing. And I promise you this: Sarah would _never_ let anything happen to your brother. You've no idea just how fierce she can be when she thinks his life is in danger."

Honestly, she could be rather fierce whenever _anything_ was threatening Chuck; whether it be life threatening or not. Devon had already been clued into the secret when Emmett Millbarge's car "mysteriously" exploded in the Buy More parking lot. "You've got nothing to worry about babe. Trust me."

Devon didn't know just how wrong he was in his assessment of Chuck however. Ellie had plenty to worry about, and soon enough, she'd know just what kind of dire straits her brother was in.

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_**A/N: **How will Ellie reat when she finds out about Chuck? Will Sarah crack the code? Casey and Anna are headed to Seattle. Will Fulcrum still be there when they arrive? Chuck's plan to prolonge the life of he and Bryce worked...for now. How long will they survive though under the watch of the Fulcrum team? All this and more in future installments of **Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**_

_Thank you guys so much for reading. As I said, I had a really tough time with this one for some reason. I hope it read okay. We are almost done with the story, so for those of you who have stuck through with me, a extra special thank you. Again, I really appreciate any and all feedback you guys have. It has certainly, I think, made me a much better writer throughout the course of this fic. I am once again asking that you continue to help making me better. Hit that little review button down there and tell me what you thought. In closing, you guys are awesome. Peace.  
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	21. Her Revenge on Seattle

_**Summary: **__Sarah searches for the location of Chuck. Casey plans his mission to Seattle. We pick up at one of the points of the rescue already talked about, and much more in ch. 21: Her Revenge on Seattle_

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Chuck. If you are the one that DOES own Chuck, come on, how about a season 3? Pretty please?_

_**A/N: **__Alright, sorry for the delay guys. I've felt like crap pretty much all week. Stupid pollen. I think pollen is Fulcrum…just saying. Since this is the first thing I've published since the finale (season only hopefully), I guess I should say R.I.P. Bryce. Damn, that kind of threw a wrench in both of my stories. Oh well, what are ya gonna do? Anyway, the finale DID give me a pretty good way to go with this story however. I won't give anything away, but I will say that the new version of the Intersect leaves a lot of options open. I've tried the past two chapters to cut back on the flashing forward. I really wanted to make sure you guys know what is going on at the present time. In this chapter, we will eventually pick up where chapter 19 began…the rescue. Okay, so I guess that's about all for right now. Thank you for reading and I look forward to your feedback! Please enjoy __**Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 21: Her Revenge on Seattle.**_

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**Awesome Awards: **_Also, if you haven't yet, it's still not too late to go nominate your favorite authors and stories for the __**Awesome Awards**__ over on the TWoP Kicked Us Out…forum on this site. I won't beg for nominations, and quite frankly I think there are too many authors far and above my superior to even fathom such, but if someone WERE to nominate me…I'm just saying I'd be honored. But if it is for me or someone else doesn't matter, just go support the people that write these stories! Thanks._

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_**Warning: **__Okay, fair warning…the end of this chapter is kind of sad. Okay, it's really sad. Don't lose hope yet though ladies and gents!_

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**Encore Suites at Wynn  
Las Vegas, NV  
Thursday November 19, 2009  
11:45 PM PST**

Sarah had been working non-stop on the code she'd discovered in the text sent to Bernie. She'd searched through every intelligence data base in the world…twice. There was nobody in any of them with the names Travis Blue or Sandy Owens. She'd tried every cipher she could think of to decrypt the message with no luck. She'd even tried anagrams of the message and could scarcely make anything resembling a coherent thought, much less the location of a secret holding facility.

Sarah sighed in frustration and rested her head in her hands. She allowed h weary eyes to close just for a moment. When the moment was over however, Sarah found herself no longer sitting at the table in the common area of the suite. She was laying in the bed she and Chuck had shared while they were here.

_Dammit, I must have fallen asleep. Casey probably brought me in here. He's a good partner, but I really don't need him looking out for me like a big brother or something._

Sarah was stirred from her musings as she felt a presence shift in the bed next to her. Startled to attention, she reached over to pull the covers from around the offending presence. She couldn't believe the sight before her. The person sharing the bed with her was Chuck. _How did he get here? Did he escape and come back to me?_

Sarah shook Chuck awake. He turned his sleepy eyes up to the blonde woman and smiled up at her. It was the most beautiful sight Sarah had ever seen.

"Good morning Beautiful," he greeted her.

Tears began to pool in her eyes as she looked down at the man she feared she'd lost forever. Taking another moment to bask in the feeling of waking up next to the love of her life, she knew that nothing that would ever happen could make her any happier than she was at this very moment.

Lunging at the lanky, curly headed nerd, Sarah encased him in a firm and possessive embrace. She buried her face into his bare chest and began to sob openly. Her tears had been commonplace over the past few days, but for this first time in that span, she cried out of joy.

"I-I thought I'd never see you again. I was so scared Chuck. Tell me you'll never leave me like that again." She looked up at him. Her eyes were still red with tears, but still they pleaded for his reassurance. "Tell me Chuck!"

"Sarah, you have nothing to worry about. I'm never leaving your side again. I love you." He held her in a comforting hug. Craning his neck downward, he lightly kissed her on the top of her head.

"I love you too Chuck." Sarah pulled her way up to his lips and crashed her own mouth against his. The couple kissed for several minutes before finally pulling back. Chuck merely gazed into the eyes of his girlfriend, his love for her burning from his brown orbs.

"Sarah?"

"Yes, Chuck?"

"Sarah…wake up Sarah! Sarah!" Sarah jumped awake as she felt herself being shaken. Quickly taking in her surroundings, she realized she'd been at the table all along. Her notes from trying to break the Fulcrum code were still scattered in front of her. Jill was speaking to her. Worst of all, it had all been a dream. Chuck was still being held prisoner, or even worse, he could be…

_No, don't even think that. He's alive and he's waiting on you to come save him._

Honestly, Sarah would have been content to stay inside of that dream forever. Looking at the woman who'd woken her from her slumber along with the fantasy, the blonde was hard pressed to restrain her homicidal thoughts toward the doctor of bio-chemistry.

"What do you want Jill?" The disdain for the other woman at the moment was quite evident in Sarah's words.

"Why the hell didn't you tell anyone else about this code?" _Oh crap, she's been looking through my stuff._

Sarah shot quickly to her feet and began haphazardly gathering up the papers she'd had scattered all over the table. "I am perfectly capable of doing this on my own!"

"Obviously not! I've looked through your notes and you're not even close!" Jill wouldn't shy away from her counterpart this time. She finally had one up on Sarah Walker and she was certainly going to bask in the glory of knowing just that.

Sarah held her work possessively to her chest, an air of indignation briefly flickering across her countenance. "And just what the hell would you know Jill? I think I've been doing this a little longer than you, scientist."

Jill blew out an exasperated breathe. "I know that I just figured out the code in ten minutes while _you_ were stumped by it for more than a day."

"You know what it means?" Despite her current ill temper toward the condescending brunette, Sarah was too excited by the possibility of finding Chuck to respond harshly.

"Sarah, you were thinking way to deep on this. It's not a cipher. It's not real names. It's certainly not an anagram. The 'G' it is signed with indicates it is a guardsman. They are not known for being overly intelligent and all of those options would be over their head." Jill had softened her tone some. After all, the two women _were_ in this boat together regardless of their feelings toward one another.

"So how did you figure it out?" _I guess you can learn something from anyone._

"Sarah, maybe next time, try at least running it through IMDb first. Honestly, we could be on our way by now."

Sarah looked confused. "You mean the movie thing?" Sarah had a hard time believing it could be a simple movie reference.

"Yes, Sarah, the Internet Movie Database. Travis Blue and Sandy Owens are characters from a movie called _Wagon Master _from 1950. It was filmed in Moab, Utah and set in Southwest Utah. Moab is our likely destination, although we should keep an open mind about all of the southwest part of the state. Seriously, you're a great agent and all, but leave the puzzles to the nerds. And since Chuck's not back yet, I'm your best option." Jill turned her Mac Book around so Sarah could see the information for herself.

Sarah's face showed utter exuberance at the prospect of finding Chuck. Almost immediately however, a dark thought entered her mind and her joy subsided. "Jill, if it could be anywhere in southwest Utah, we could be looking for weeks. There's no way they'll survive that long." She wanted to cry again as her body was overtaken by the dregs of defeat.

"Sarah, didn't we pick up a trace on Chuck's GPS the day they were taken?"

Sarah nodded her head, but her look of grief didn't dissipate. "We did, be we agreed that even the dumbest of guards would think to search them for tracking devices. Whatever we saw was meant to take us off course."

Jill knew her idea still had legs however. "That's true, but if we go back and trace the route it traveled with the intel we have now, we may be able to rule out that option completely. If it is _in_ Utah however, we have a place to start."

Jill had a point. Sarah didn't really want to admit that Jill had a point, but she did. "Okay, Jill. We'll see what we can find, but I doubt it's going to help." _That's right; don't let her get too full of herself Walker._

Going over to the tracking equipment, they pulled up Chuck's GPS tracking device. Nothing currently showed, but upon pulling a history, the last known location was in…Moab, Utah. _Eureka! _Sarah thought. Then it dawned on her that she never used the word 'eureka.' _I've been spending far too much time with nerds. That said, I hope I get some more time with a certain nerd very soon._

"And there we go! It is in Moab! Now we just have to find a way to get in there."

"Jill, let's do that in the morning. We can get better satellite imaging of the compound and try to plan a tactical invasion that actually has a chance of working." The truth was, Sarah was exhausted and knew that she needed rest to reach the top of her game. And Chuck would need her absolute best if he had a chance of getting out of that place alive.

"You're right." Jill could tell that the other agent needed rest. The poor woman hadn't slept at all really since their men had been taken. "We'll get sleep and get the plan rolling in the morning."

It was the most amicable conversation the two women could ever really remember having between themselves. Maybe they would work out alright as a team after all.

* * *

**Fulcrum Holding Facility  
Moab, Utah  
Friday November 20, 2009  
4:03 AM MST**

Chuck was awoken by the feel of cold steel slashing into his side. He cried out in pain as blood began to seep from the gash now carved into his torso. The Fulcrum guardsman in front of his bore a sadistic grin at the pain of the bound agent.

"Rise and shine CIA." The man laughed manically at the nerd's misfortune. "You know, agent, you have been no help at all to us. Now I'm going to get breakfast. Why don't you _hang _around here and wait on me." The guardsman thought his little quip was quite hilarious. Chuck disagreed. _And I thought Casey was the master of horrible puns, _Chuck thought wryly, glancing up at the chains that held him from the ceiling.

Chuck held in his hands -or more aptly his mouth- however what may be the key to getting them out of this dungeon. The tracking device that he'd ingested back at the Fulcrum Headquarters had been regurgitated after his last torture session. Luckily for Chuck, his teeth had held the small device in, and now was his chance. It was a long shot but if he could just…

Chuck spit at the laughing man in front of him. Sure enough, the small device the nerd had held in his own mouth found the gaping oral cavity of the Fulcrum guardsman. In his shock, the man swallowed the new presence in his maw. _Phase one completed, _Chuck thought.

The guardsman beat him quite fervently for this disgusting act, but it didn't matter. The trap was set.

Walking out of the interrogation room, the guardsman informed his superior he needed to run out to get some mouthwash. The other man completely understood.

* * *

**Encore Suites at Wynn  
Las Vegas, NV  
Friday November 20, 2009  
6:00 AM PST**

Casey walked into the command center set up in the suite at Encore. There was a briefing with the General in thirty minutes, and he really needed to present his superior with the op-specs he'd devised. He'd really felt bad for his partner. She'd been working herself ragged trying to come up with some clue as to the location of Bartowski. So far, he knew she'd only come up empty and had been getting more and more depressed. Walker would more than likely require months of psychoanalysis after this ordeal. He'd lost someone once too. He knew the toll it took on an agent. It's why they were trained to never fall in love.

Pouring himself a tall cup of coffee, the NSA agent walked over to the table at the center of their makeshift base. Something on the screen in front of him caught his eye before he could begin going through his paperwork however. There was a moving dot…_That's Bartowski's tracking. Why would they have that pulled up unless…_

Suddenly Casey knew what he had to do. If Walker had pulled up what everyone had agreed was a dead lead, then she must have found new information to make it relevant. Pulling out his phone, he dialed a contact he had in the Utah Highway Patrol. As the phone rang, he pulled up a trace on the movement on the satellite imaging. Sure enough, he picked up the sight of a car moving briskly down the highway. Then the other end of the phone was answered.

"This is Young."

"Lloyd, it's John Casey-"

"Casey? Is it really you? What do'ya need this time ya' old dog?!"

"Listen, Lloyd, this is really important. I need one of your guys to pick something up for me."

"Whatever you need, you know I got your back Major."

* * *

**Two Hours Later…**

The briefing had gone by without much fanfare. He hadn't mentioned what he'd found out about Chuck and Bryce's location, and not surprisingly, Walker had kept a lid on it as well. No use bringing the General up to speed until they had solid evidence about where everything was. Casey stood to get up from the table when he felt his phone begin to vibrate.

"Casey secure."

"Alright, good. Where? We'll get there in a hurry." And Casey ended the call.

Turning to his partner, a big grin spread across the agent's face. "Walker, would you care to take a ride with me?"

"Casey, I…umm, kind of have some plans for this morning. If it could wait…" She let her voice trail off. She'd put off her continued search for her boyfriend last night and didn't think it would be wise to delay it any further.

"Walker, I really need you on this one." Something about his tone told Sarah that she needed to go with the man. _What is he not telling me? Only one way to find out._

"Alright, let's go then." The two long time partners walked out of the door leaving Jill and Anna to themselves. It was not a comfortable situation for the two women who knew practically nothing about each other.

"Sooo…" Anna drawled, casting her eyes away from Jill.

Yep," Jill responded averting her own gaze.

* * *

**McCarran International Airport  
Las Vegas, NV  
Friday November 20, 2009  
9:33 AM PST**

"Casey, would you just tell me what he hell we're doing here. I honestly have something I need to be taking care of." She couldn't believe he was keeping her from looking for Chuck by dragging her to an airport for God knows what.

"Walker, just trust me. You're going to want to see this." Casey actually sounded excited. It was rare that he got excited about…well, anything really.

The two continued through a long corridor, before ending at a plain white door guarded by a man in battle fatigues holding an MP-5. Casey showed credentials and gave a password and the two were allowed to enter.

"So now can you tell me Casey?" Sarah was getting a little more than irritated with her partner's evasive behavior.

"See that guy in there?" Casey pointed to the man in the interrogation chamber he'd led them to. Sarah peered through the window and nodded; a confused look was still on her face. "Chuck's tracking device was found on him. We think he knows where they're being held."

Now the confused look was gone. A storm was brewing behind the blue eyes of the blonde assassin. "He knows where _my_ Chuck is?" Her voice sounded even more dangerous than her expression looked.

"Uh-huh," Casey supplied with a nod. At his admission, Sarah burst through the door to the room, going face to face with the man that held the information she held most important in the world. He was the only thing keeping her from getting to the man she loved. This Fulcrum member was an obstacle. Agent Sarah Walker had ways of dealing with obstacles.

Forty-five minutes later, Agent Walker emerged from an interrogation room covered in the blood of someone else for the second time this week. _People will learn one day not to fuck with my boyfriend, _she'd thought as she walked out.

"So, you get anything before you offed the guy?" Casey was not nearly as shocked by his partner's actions this time around. He was a quick study. The Bernie situation had taught him at least one thing: Sarah Walker will do serious damage to _anyone_ that can be considered any threat to Bartowski. That was good information to have.

"Yeah, I got it. Jill and I are going to Moab. Need me to pick anything up?"

"How about an Intersect and a douche-bag?" Casey was rather proud of himself for that line. And it was that line that caused Sarah to laugh for the first time since Chuck's disappearance. She could relax a little now. She knew where Chuck was. She knew he was safe. And most of all, Sarah knew she was going to save him. It's what she did.

* * *

**Sarah and Jill's Tactical Vehicle  
15 Minutes Away from Fulcrum Base in Moab  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
1:16 AM MST**

The group had decided to execute both operations simultaneously. To run one before the other would risk tipping off the other location. In Sarah's case, it would cause the guards holding Chuck and Bryce to kill them. In Casey and Anna's case, it would cause the Fulcrum leaders to flee their location. They needed to take down these guys in one fell swoop.

The anxiety had built during the travel to the Utah town. As they were approaching their target, it grew even more. Sarah hadn't felt this nervous about a mission since…she didn't think she'd ever been this nervous about a mission. _I've never had something so important to me on the line. _Before she could think about it any more however, he phone began vibrating. It was Casey.

"Walker, secure."

"You got them?" Sarah turned to the other people in the vehicle. "Casey and Anna did it. Ken Adams along with six other high ranking Fulcrum members including the remaining Elder is dead." There was rejoicing from others in the car, but Sarah had her own problems to deal with.

"Wait. What was that Casey?"

* * *

**Casey's Suburban  
In Route to Las Vegas  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
12:22 PM PST**

"I said you need to pull out. Two Reapers have been deployed to blow the facility. It was too dangerous. You know they're probably gone anyway Walker. Even if they're not…"

"So you would just leave them behind Casey? Why would they do this? Why can't we have the chance to save him?" The emotion in Sarah's pained words was evident even through the phone. Casey knew she didn't need instruction right now, she needed a friend. He wasn't sure that was a hat he had in his bag, but it was worth a shot.

"Sarah, you have to turn around. You know Chuck would want you to be safe. You have to turn around or you'll be dead too. So will all the men you have with you. So will Roberts." _I think that was friendly, come on now Walker, make the right decision._

"I can't Casey. I love him." In her mind, that was all the argument that was needed.

"I know you-"

"No you don't! You don't know anything Casey! If I don't try to save him…I could never live with myself." And Sarah disconnected the call. She appreciated what her partner was trying to do, but she _was_ going to get to Chuck. She _would _save him. Tonight was supposed to be the start of their life together. He was _not_ going to miss that.

* * *

**Sarah and Jill's Tactical Vehicle  
10 Minutes Away from Fulcrum Base in Moab  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
1:21 AM MST**

"Predators?" Jill asked with a guarded tone.

"Reapers," Sarah responded. The somber tenor her voice had taken put the situation into perspective.

Jill sighed. All this way…she'd really thought they had a chance to save them. Sometimes she really hated the government they worked for. Why would they give up on two people who had given so much to the 'greater good' so quickly? A sad thought came to mind for Jill. She decided to share it with the other woman.

"You know, it's a shame Chuck and Bryce aren't here. They could probably find a way to gain control of those UAV's. They were always geniuses with that stuff. Back at Stanford-"Jill's trip down memory lane was cut off, as her speech had given the blond an idea.

"Maybe they _could_, Jill. But I know who _can_!" Scrolling through her contact, Sarah found a number she had almost forgotten she had. _Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up! You have to be there! _Then the other line was answered.

"Mr. Bartowski? It's Sarah."

"Alright, fine, Dad." _That Bartowski charm never fails does it?_

"Listen…_Dad_…Chuck's in trouble…Reapers have been deployed to destroy the location he's at. I've got the coordinates for you. Do you think you could-" Before Sarah could finish her request, she saw the most horrible sight she'd ever seen. The Reapers had bombed the complex. The entire place went up in a giant fireball.

Sarah dropped the phone from her ear. "We were too late." Tears and uncontrollable sobs began to burst forth from the blonde. "I'm sorry Chuck, I wasn't good enough," she choked out through her wails of grief. It felt as if someone had literally ripped her very heart from her chest and was now holding it in front of her for her to see. The only thing she could compare it to was when she witnessed what she'd thought was Chuck blowing up in a Herder. This time, he wouldn't be stepping up from behind her holding a remote control however.

She looked next to her at the scientist who appeared to be in just as much pain as she was. The shock was evident on the brunette doctor's face, and so were the tears and anguish. The two women locked eyes, sharing an unspoken understanding of what they'd both just lost. The two women embraced one another as they cried.

"Chuck…" Sarah called out in a whisper. She couldn't believe she'd never see _her _Chuck again.

* * *

_**A/N: **__Are Chuck and Bryce really gone or did they find a way out before the complex was destroyed? That is really the biggest question…anything else pales in comparison, and you'll have your answer in the next, and what will most likely be the penultimate chapter of __**Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**_

_Thank you again everyone for giving me a read. I really appreciate the support I've gotten since I began this story. It has really been just fantastic. I always appreciate your feedback, so hit that little review button down there and let me know what you thought of this chapter…and the story as a whole. That really helps me know whether or not I'm doing right by everyone. Again, I will ask that you go over to the forum and nominate your favorite authors and stories for the __**Awesome Awards.**__ It's a great way to show that you really care about getting quality stories here at the ff Chuck…type…area. Okay, couldn't find a better way to put that. In any case, I'll end this like usual, you guys are AWESOME. Peace._


	22. If You Must

_**Summary: **__Did Bryce and Chuck find a way to get out before the building was destroyed? Even if they did, will they be alright once they escape? Read chapter __**22: If You Must**__ to find out._

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Chuck. I think you know who owns Chuck, and they REALLY need to let us know that it's coming back next year. It's not really fair to make me wait!_

_**Awesome Awards**_**: **_Also, if you haven't yet, it's still not too late to go nominate your favorite authors and stories for the __**Awesome Awards**__ over on the TWoP Kicked Us Out…forum on this site. I won't beg for nominations, and quite frankly I think there are too many authors far and above my superior to even fathom such, but if someone WERE to nominate me…I'm just saying I'd be honored. But if it is for me or someone else doesn't matter, just go support the people that write these stories! Thanks._

_**A/N: **__Thank you to everyone who reviewed chapter 21. I know it was a bit of a harsh cliffy, but that's what makes fanfiction fun, right? Anyway, a lot of good feedback, as always, and I really appreciated it. There is a small cliffhanger at the end of this chapter, but it's not nearly as big as the last one, so don't worry all you worriers. I told you to trust me, remember? It will all work out in the end. There will be one more chapter after this one. I'm hoping to wrap up all the loose ends there, but I may have to resort to a epilogue. I haven't decided yet. And also, I should clarify that I won't wrap up EVERY loose end, because I've really enjoyed this AU and I want to leave it a little open for a possible sequel. I'd really like to hear from you guys if you'd be interested in another story in this 'verse. In fact, I'd love to hear any feedback you may have, so by all means hit me up with a review. As always, all mistakes are my own. I really appreciate your reading, and please enjoy __**Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah chapter 22: If You Must.**_

_**

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**Fulcrum Holding Facility  
Moab, UT  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
1:15 AM MST**

"Bryce!" Chuck did his best to rouse his friend but his voice was in tatters from his screams of anguish under torture. What had been meant to be a yell was barely above a whisper. "Bryce!" he tried again. Still Bryce didn't awaken.

Mustering every last ounce of strength that he had, Chuck pulled himself up on the chains he was bound from and swung his legs out to make contact with the other man. Finally Bryce was roused from his slumber.

"Huh? What? Chuck, what's wrong?" Always the agent, Bryce Larkin was fast to become aware of his surroundings. "What's that noise?"

"That noise is the reason I was trying to wake you up to begin with asshole!" Chuck's voice was almost gone, but if that noise was what he thought it was, he wouldn't need to save it for much longer. _A corpse doesn't really need a voice, much less a corpse that is burnt to a crisp or disintegrated altogether._ And if he was going to die, Chuck Bartowski was not going to miss one last opportunity to call Bryce and 'asshole.'

"Well why the hell did you wake me up? There's not a whole helluva lot we can do about it from here douche bag." Bryce's voice wasn't nearly as strained as Chuck's. That said he was certainly on board with getting one final good natured parting shot at his best friend. "Chuck, you didn't happen to heave up anything I could pick a lock with did you?"

"Yeah, of course I did Bryce. Remember when I swallowed that lock picking kit before we were taking hostage?" It was a biting sarcasm which was uncharacteristic of Chuck, but dammit he was going to die. He didn't need dumb questions right now.

Chuck looked up and the cuffs that bound him to the ceiling. The guardsmen that had taken him hostage had been smart enough to keep his hands separate. If he could have, he would break his thumb the way Casey had once explained to him. _Wait, maybe I don't have to break my own thumb after all. _It was a long-shot, but it was worth a try.

"Bryce, is there any way you could swing your legs up to, oh I don't know, say my hands?"

"It really wouldn't be a problem Chuck. Gymnastics, remember?" Chuck did remember. He remembered everything about Bryce at Stanford. "I don't think I can pick a lock with my feet however. Certainly not with these shoes still on."

"Don't need you to." Bryce looked at his friend quizzically. "I need you to kick the shit out of my hands. I need you to break my thumb."

Then it all made since to the shorter man. _Of course, if I break Chuck's thumb, he can slip his hand out and free himself, then free me!_ Without saying anything else, Bryce threw his legs backwards to gain some momentum. He swung forward kicking at Chuck's right hand, but missing. Falling back and getting an even stronger head of steam, he swung forward once again. This time he connected, right on target. The joint just below Chuck's thumb shattered with a sickening crack.

Chuck let out a small whimper. It hurt, but compared to what he'd been through the past few days it was a walk in the park. Quickly, he used his other fingers to bring his now limp thumb in line with his palm. He pulled down, and sure enough, his right hand slid from the cuff that had held him. Now all of his weight was hanging from his left arm. He felt the shoulder being pulled painfully from its socket. There was no time to focus on the pain however. Reaching up with his now liberated right hand, he broke his left thumb in a similar fashion to what had been done by Bryce. His left hand slid effortlessly from its binds. Chuck was now free.

The tall nerd, ignoring the immense pain that coursed through his body, rushed over to the corner where Bryce and his possessions had been strewn when they'd been stripped before the men were hung from the ceiling. He pulled only two things from the stack: his arm computer his dad had given him and a knife from his pocket. He made his way back over to Bryce and put the knife in his hand. Bryce used to knife to quickly pick the lock on his own cuffs.

Chuck quickly pulled up commands for the UAV's that were rumbling outside the complex. They were Reapers, programmed to destroy the building at any moment. _I don't need to cancel the orders, just delay them a few minutes. _Chuck typed in a sequence of strokes and got his desired effect.

"Alright, we've got five minutes. Let's get out of here!" Even as he said it, the physical toll the last few days had taken on his body began to set in. Chuck nearly crumpled to the floor. Fortunately, his friend was there to catch him. Bryce allowed Chuck to put his arm around his shoulder and began helping his friend escape. They would need all of the five minutes Chuck had given them if they were moving at this pace.

Then, the worst thing that could have happened did. They were confronted by six of the guardsmen. "What the hell!" one of them shouted. The six Fulcrum guards drew their weapons and pointed them at the escaping agents. Bryce released his friend and prepared to fight off the coming assault as best he could.

Bryce rushed toward the nearest guard, knocking the weapon from his hand and delivering a devastating side kick to the man's temple rendering him unconscious. He turned to the next man in line and grabbed at his hands that were holding the gun on Bryce and Chuck. Taking control of the weapon himself, Bryce turned taking position behind the man and firing off several rounds towards the other guards present. The other four guards quickly dropped from the attack, but not before one could get off a lucky shot.

With his last ounce of strength, Bryce ripped the gun from the hands of the man that had served as his human shield and fired one more round into the man's head. He couldn't take the risk of his being left alive. Then the shot that had impacted Bryce in his lower torso, just below his ribs took hold of him. He couldn't stand anymore.

Chuck saw his friend collapse to the floor. Again, fighting through the weakness that had been beaten into him over the past several days, he covered the ground to the fallen agent as hastily as possible. "Bryce! Are you okay?" Seeing the rapidly growing red stain in the other man's side however, Chuck knew that he was not.

"Chuck, I-I can't go any further. Get out of here! Take care of Sarah…and tell Jill…tell Jill I love-"

"Shut up Bryce! We're getting out of here." Chuck disregarded the searing hurt that permeated every ounce of tissue he had. He picked Bryce up and threw him over his shoulder. Then, despite the aches he felt, Chuck began to sprint toward the exit he had found using his arm computer.

The men reached the exit in less than three minutes. As they fled the compound, the Reapers over head prepared their attack. When they were less than two hundred yards from the facility, the first missile made impact; then the second; followed closely by the third and fourth. The heat and force from the explosions threw Chuck and Bryce to the ground. Turning towards the building they'd been in just moments before, the two men watched as the compound along with all of the remaining Fulcrum guards went up in embers.

* * *

**Sarah and Jill's Tactical Vehicle  
10 Minutes Away from Fulcrum Base in Moab  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
1:21 AM MST**

"Predators?" Jill asked with a guarded tone.

"Reapers," Sarah responded. The somber tenor her voice had taken put the situation into perspective.

Jill sighed. All this way…she'd really thought they had a chance to save them. Sometimes she really hated the government they worked for. Why would they give up on two people who had given so much to the 'greater good' so quickly? A sad thought came to mind for Jill. She decided to share it with the other woman.

"You know, it's a shame Chuck and Bryce aren't here. They could probably find a way to gain control of those UAV's. They were always geniuses with that stuff. Back at Stanford-"Jill's trip down memory lane was cut off, as her speech had given the blond an idea.

"Maybe they _could_, Jill. But I know who _can_!" Scrolling through her contact, Sarah found a number she had almost forgotten she had. _Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up! You have to be there! _Then the other line was answered.

"Mr. Bartowski? It's Sarah."

"Alright, fine, Dad." _That Bartowski charm never fails does it?_

"Listen…_Dad_…Chuck's in trouble…Reapers have been deployed to destroy the location he's at. I've got the coordinates for you. Do you think you could-" Before Sarah could finish her request, she saw the most horrible sight she'd ever seen. The Reapers had bombed the complex. The entire place went up in a giant fireball.

Sarah dropped the phone from her ear. "We were too late." Tears and uncontrollable sobs began to burst forth from the blonde. "I'm sorry Chuck, I wasn't good enough," she choked out through her wails of grief. It felt as if someone had literally ripped her very heart from her chest and was now holding it in front of her for her to see. The only thing she could compare it to was when she witnessed what she'd thought was Chuck blowing up in a Herder. This time, he wouldn't be stepping up from behind her holding a remote control however.

She looked next to her at the scientist who appeared to be in just as much pain as she was. The shock was evident on the brunette doctor's face, and so were the tears and anguish. The two women locked eyes, sharing an unspoken understanding of what they'd both just lost. Jill and Sarah embraced one another as they cried.

"Chuck…" Sarah called out in a whisper. She couldn't believe she'd never see _her _Chuck again.

The vehicle stopped, and pulled to the side of the road. The driver turned to the two bawling female agents in the back seat. "You two ready to turn around." Sarah stared at the man with murder in her eyes. The blonde opened the door to the modified Suburban and leaped out. She began sprinting towards the fire that was Fulcrum's Moab holding facility.

Jill got out behind her and began chase. "Sarah, wait! There's nothing you can do!" Sarah wasn't listening however. She'd done too much. She'd come too far to let it be over like this. She continued her streak towards the building.

When she got close enough for the heat to actually start burning her skin however, her heart nearly stopped at the sight before her. A badly beaten and bloodied Chuck was slowly walking from the blast sight. Bryce was thrown over his shoulders. She turned to the scientist that had stopped her pursuit of the more experienced agent. "Jill," she shouted. "We need help over here!"

Jill could make out a figure emerging from the fire. When she heard Sarah's plea, she resumed sprinting towards the position of her temporary partner. Then Jill saw it. Chuck was limping towards them with Bryce thrown over his shoulder.

The two women got to the injured men almost simultaneously. Jill and Sarah helped Chuck but Bryce gently on the ground. Then Chuck himself collapsed to the pavement. Sarah picked up her radio and began to yell into it. "We need help now! We've got the hostages, both injured! Get us a MEDVAC right fucking now!"

The blonde kneeled over her fallen boyfriend. He looked up through weary, pain infused eyes at the woman that he loved. "Chuck! Chuck, you're going to be alright okay?" _You have to be alright. I can't lose you._

"I love you Sarah." Chuck's body was willing him into unconsciousness.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare give up Chuck Bartowski! I need you!" The tears streamed from her eyes. She couldn't judge the extent of his injuries, but it didn't matter. Whatever was wrong with him, he was going to make it. He had to make it.

Meanwhile, Jill was seated next to the other escaped hostage. She wasn't fortunate enough to have a conversation with her love like Sarah had been. Bryce had long ago given in to the will of his body to leave the conscious world. Jill took solace in the fact that there was still a pulse, albeit a faint one.

The MEDVAC unit was one the scene in no time. They quickly loaded the two injured agents into the chopper and took off. Sarah and Jill were left to worry on the ground. They made their way back to the vehicle that had carried them to Utah. Sarah ordered the driver to take them to Allen Memorial Hospital where Bryce and Chuck were being taken. She got on the horn and the other pieces of the convoy to spread out around the facility and eliminate anyone seen trying to escape. Not that she thought anyone could escape _that_ but it was better to be safe than sorry.

* * *

**Allen Memorial Hospital  
Moab, Utah  
Sunday November 22, 2009  
8:30 AM MST**

Chuck slowly opened his eyes. There appeared to be light creeping in through a window. _Wait, light? There's no light in this dungeon. _Then it dawned on him that he wasn't hanging from a ceiling. He was lying in a bed. He didn't smell the musk of a dank pit and sweat; the smells assaulting his nostrils were sterile in nature. His hands weren't bound by cold steel cuffs anymore. His right hand was free. His left hand however was firmly held in place. Then he saw the captor of his appendage. She was blonde. Then the memories of his escape flooded to his memory.

Sarah had spent the entire night in the chair beside Chuck's bed. When her tired body couldn't stay awake any further, she'd laid her head down next to her boyfriend and gone to sleep with his hand --well at least the part of his hand that wasn't the broken thumb- squeezed tightly in her grasp. The doctor's had told her that while he was certainly worse for wear, there didn't appear to be any major internal damage done. He'd just need to rest and heal up for a while.

When she felt him stir, Sarah aroused immediately from her slumber. She looked up at the man lying in that hospital bed and a myriad of emotions washed over her. She felt relief at seeing him looking at her. She felt joy at knowing he was alive and would be alright. She felt hope at knowing the Fulcrum threat was completely gone, and as per their plans, they could retire from this life and begin their new life…together. And there was a part of her that felt fear. She feared that this was all another dream. That she wasn't here with Chuck, or that Chuck was actually dead. She also feared that he wouldn't want to move on now. Not with her. Not with what she'd done in her panic to find him.

Sarah wished she could leave that part out to him. She longed for the days when she would protect him from the ugly side to this business. She wondered if she really needed to tell him anyway. _Of course I have to tell him. He has to know the truth. You can't build a relationship on lies Walker._ And she knew her conscience was right.

"Good morning beautiful." He smiled his patented Chuck Bartowski smile. Sarah never could resist that smile. She got to her feet and leaned over his prone form, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Chuck wasn't satisfied with the gentle kiss however. He pulled her body down onto his own and intensified their osculation. The weight of her body on top of his hurt so much, but it felt far too good to complain. Finally Sarah separated herself from his embrace.

"Good morning indeed." Sarah was now sporting her own million watt smile. She'd sat back in the chair beside his bed, but leaned forward on her elbows and gazed into the deep brown orbs of her lover.

"Sarah," Chuck sighed before continuing. "How's Bryce?" Chuck knew his friend had been in bad shape when they broke out of the facility last night. He watched her face for any sign of the nature of the news. Seeing her face drop, Chuck knew it wasn't happy news and feared it may be the worst.

"Chuck…Bryce was hit in several major organs. He lost a lot of blood. They've had him in surgery for hours. He's still with us, but his condition is very critical." She wished she'd had something better to tell him. The truth was however, that as much as she hoped Bryce was alright, she'd really only been focused on the health of one man; she was talking to him.

"How's Jill doing?" Chuck was really worried for his ex-girlfriend. He knew what Bryce had come to mean to her. Losing him now…he feared it could destroy her forever.

"She's…well, you know it's hard." Sarah felt guilty that she hadn't checked on her teammate from the rescue. In all honesty, Jill had been terrific to Sarah over the past few days. Maybe when this was all done, there was hope for a friendship there. She almost laughed at the image of "The Andersons" and "The Carmichaels" having a night on the town. It was never an image she'd considered a possibility before.

"Yeah, I know. Casey and Anna? Where are they?" This question wouldn't cause her as much trouble to answer.

"They're on the way Chuck. They took down the remaining Fulcrum leaders last night. With the base that you guys were in destroyed along with the entire Fulcrum presence inside, the threat is gone." She smiled at the curly headed man.

"Fulcrum's gone?" She nodded. This was what he'd been waiting on for months. The organization that had made his life hell for the past two years was gone. The same organization that was responsible for the death of his life-long bestfriend and the paralysis of his brother-in-law. Fulcrum was finally no more. But with his friend Bryce's life still in danger Chuck found that he wasn't as happy as he'd thought he'd be for this news.

"That's great Sarah." He did his best to smile back at her, but the worry he had just wouldn't let the smile reach his eyes. "Sarah?" She looked at him, nodding for him to continue. "Would you please check on Bryce and Jill for me? Especially Jill."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" The truth was Sarah was a little jealous that Chuck would send her out because he was so worried about his ex.

"I'll be fine. Look, I know you two don't really get along, but if it was_ me_ that was in surgery for hours and possibly dying, I'd like to think she'd check on you." And he truly believed that she would. Being in the business for even as short of a time as he had, Chuck had learned that there wasn't a lot of support out there outside of your partners. Jill and Bryce were their partners. On top of that, they were their friends.

Sarah knew she couldn't deny his request. Chuck had made it easy to see that going to see about the two other agents was the right thing. "Alright Chuck, if you'll be alright for a little while?" He nodded his head in affirmation. "Then I'll be back in a little while. Try to get some rest."

Sarah was dreading her meeting with the brunette. She truly feared the worst had happened and she'd been too caught up in her own agenda to even check and find out. Slowly Sarah approached this other woman sitting in a chair in the waiting room, her head resting in her hands, elbows on her knees.

"Jill? Are you alright?" Sarah's voice was quiet and soothing. Jill looked up at her company through bloodshot eyes.

"Yeah." She managed weakly. "He made it out of surgery minutes ago. He's still here…but he's not out of the woods yet." Jill buried her face back into her hands. "I'm just so scared, Sarah." The tears again began to pour from her eyes.

"Hey," Sarah said. "It's going to be alright. He's going to make it Jill. Bryce is a fighter." The blonde spy wrapped her arm around the shorter woman and held her. Jill leaned into the embrace and continued crying on the shoulder of the woman that had been a hated enemy only a week ago. In that moment however, Jill knew she now considered Sarah Walker to be a friend.

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_**A/N: **__Aww…Jill and Sarah made nice. Will Bryce be alright? Did the place he was shot sound familiar? How will Chuck react when he finds out what Sarah did to find him? Will they indeed leave the "spy world" behind? Will we finally see the Andersons and the Carmichaels get to relax together? You will see in the next and final chapter of __**Bryce and Jill vs Chuck and Sarah.**_

_Thank you guys so much for all the support you've given me through out this story. It's almost over, and I really appreciate the ones of you that have stuck with me. I know I've done some things throughout to kind of upset the audience, but like I said in an A/N back many chapters ago. Trust me, it will all be awesome in the end. I'm already working on the final installment. I MAY have an epilogue to follow the final chapter, but right now, I'm not planning on it. I think I can wrap it up with one more. I hope you'll enjoy the conclusion, and I hope you'll continue to read my future stories. I look forward to hearing your feedback on this, what is the penultimate chapter to the long tale. And as always, you guys are awesome. Peace._


	23. Endless Nameless

_**Summary: **__Bryce is trying to recover in the hospital. Ellie is pissed she was kept out of the loop. Chuck and Sarah are free to have a normal life. Of course everything gets jumbled up…there is going to be a sequel after all!_

_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Chuck. Chuck is owned by (blank)(blank)(blank). I will type out the name of THAT network when they stop screwing with Chuck fans and give us our renewal already!_

_**A/N: **__Well, this is it guys. For those of you who stuck with me throughout, I don't know what to say. It really means a whole lot. I feel a little strange that the story is already over. It seems like I JUST started it. I am glad that so many people enjoyed reading it however. Now I will be free to work on Ashes exclusively for a while (although I have another story bugging me to be written, so I may still be working on two). Anyway, I would love to hear your feedback on what you thought of this final chapter and the story overall. It's only through the feedback of the readers that I have come along with my writing as much as I have in such a short period of time. Thank you very much to my beta for this chapter, the great __**Notorious JMG. **__If you haven't read any of his work…well, you haven't spent much time in the Chuck fanfiction area have you? Also a very distinct shoutout to another author in this chapter. I want to see if they (or anyone else) picks up on it. Anyway, that's all for now. Thank you for reading, and I hope you'll enjoy my other works and the eventual sequel to this story. Now…please enjoy __**Bryce and Jill vs. Chuck and Sarah chapter 23: Endless, Nameless.**_

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**Waikiki Beach  
Honolulu, Hawaii  
Friday May 28, 2010  
6:20 PM HST**

He knew this should be a happy occasion. And he _was _happy. He was a bit nervous, true. But still he was happy. It was the day he'd dreamed about for…well as long as he had remembered after all. Today, Chuck Bartowski would marry the girl of his dreams.

It was funny in a way that the woman he'd once thought that he would be exchanging vows with was a would-be bridesmaid in the service. He certainly found humor in that particular turn of events.

_So let's get this straight Chuck, _he thought to himself. _You're happy, nervous, humorous, and…_

"Awesome, the third string best man is here!" Devon rolled over towards John Casey who was entering the tent that was serving as the groomsmen's room. The doctor held his hand up offering the Colonel a high-five. Casey glared at the groom's brother-in-law momentarily and then turned away with a grunt.

"Come on guys, this is a happy day." Devon was clearly the most chipper person assembled amongst these men.

_Well, I guess I found the fourth thing I'm feeling. Third string best man. _That thought made Chuck sad. It wasn't a slight against Casey, but the title was true. His first choice for a best man was the very reason this wedding was where it was and on the day it was. It was the one year anniversary of Morgan's death. Sarah was probably the least picky bride ever. Her only stipulation had been that she wanted a beach wedding. So it had dawned on Chuck that it would make it almost feel like his oldest friend was there if they had it on _that_ day and in Hawaii, where the bearded man had dreamed of one day moving to start a new life. Chuck thought it fitting if he began his own new life here in Morgan's stead.

His second choice would have been Bryce. Chuck had known Bryce since Stanford and despite the resentment he had once felt towards his former roommate, Chuck now accepted that Bryce had always been a good friend to him. And so it was that Chuck Bartowski started making final preparations to go meet his bride without the two best friends he'd ever known. _But I'm still happy. I'm nervous, true. And I'm a little sad now. But for the most part happy. Think happy thoughts Chuck._

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**Allen Memorial Hospital  
Moab, Utah  
Monday November 30, 2009  
8:02 PM MST**

Bryce's condition was improving, but with the painkillers he was on, he wasn't able to maintain consciousness for long periods of time. Sarah knew that if she didn't get Jill out and about, she would spend every minute of every day by Bryce's side letting herself waste away. _It's probably what I'd do if Chuck was in that condition. _

While Chuck's injuries had not been severe, he still felt the effects of his time of imprisonment under Fulcrum watch. Simply moving around still felt like a chore. So while Jill had been out with Sarah, Chuck sat with Bryce.

Chuck was focused on his PSP when a rustling from the bed drew his attention.

"Chuck," Bryce spoke with a voice weakened by his condition and made worse by the pain meds.

"Hey buddy. You sound a little like Vito Corleone there." Bryce managed a weak smile at his friends attempt at humor. Chuck's own smile was subdued by seeing the 'invincible' Bryce Larkin in this condition.

"Chuck, you saved my life." Through his brief stints of being awake, Bryce had yet to speak to Chuck until now. Jill had told him about how they escaped the facility. He'd made a promise to himself that he'd let Chuck know just how grateful he was when he finally spoke to him again. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Chuck leaned back in his chair. "I wouldn't have even gotten out of that facility if it wasn't for you." Pausing, another thought occurred to the taller man. "And you wouldn't have even gotten shot if you hadn't been protecting me. I slowed you down." The smile that had once been on Chuck's face had now turned into a frown.

"Chuck, don't…" Bryce searched for the right words. Feeling like you'd been run over by and eighteen- wheeler didn't help the situation. "We looked out for each other. That's what friends do right?"

Chuck's smile returned as he looked down at his buddy lying supine on the hospital bed. "Right. We look out for each other."

"So, I guess this is it for you right? Fulcrum's gone. That was your goal. That was your Moby Dick."

Bryce's point was not a revelation to Chuck. He'd been turning the implications of what the end of Fulcrum meant over in his head for over a week now. In fact, for the first time in a long time, Chuck felt really good about where his life was taking him.

"Yeah." Chuck felt his pocket for what must have been the thousandth time that night for the bulk it contained. "I'm proposing to Sarah tonight."

Bryce's face seemed to take on a contemplative expression. Slowly his lips began to turn up at the corners. "That's great Chuck." The bedridden spy could sense the doubt and nervousness his friend was exuding. "Chuck, she wants that. I promise. You have nothing to worry about."

"But what if…" Chuck looked away from Bryce. "What if she finds out that it's not enough? What if she misses all of this?" Chuck began waving his arms around to indicate what Sarah would be leaving behind.

"What, hospital rooms?"

"No, Bryce. What if she only _thinks_ she wants a normal life…but when she gets it she realizes she misses being a spy?" This had been one of Chuck's biggest worries about moving on with Sarah. She'd been a spy all of her adult life and now she was planning to just give it up. Such a huge change seemed foreign to Chuck.

"Chuck…Sarah is a great spy. You know that. She loves what she does."

"You're not really doing anything to assuage my fears here Bryce."

Bryce chuckled softly. "But despite all of that, she loves you more. Sarah Walker has always been the consummate professional Chuck. One person has ever made her behave differently. It's you. You're more important to her than _any_ career. So stop feeling sorry for yourself and for once give Chuck Bartowski a little credit."

"Thanks Bryce." Chuck heard footsteps approaching outside the door. Instinctively he reached for the gun tucked into the waistband of his pants. The door cracked open and Jill Roberts' face looked in on the two men. Chuck relaxed and turned back to Bryce.

"I guess that's my cue. I'll see you two later." Chuck stood up to leave.

"Hey, Chuck…good luck." Bryce smiled back at Bryce and waved at his old college friends as he left.

"Good luck?" Jill was puzzled by Bryce's parting words to the nerd.

"Chuck, uh…wants Sarah to take a look at something tonight." Jill looked at him quizzically. "A _proposal _if you will." That did the trick.

"Oh my God! Are you serious?" Bryce nodded. Jill couldn't keep the smile off of her face for her two friends. _It's good to have friends, _she thought.

"Um, Jill, before I have to knock myself out again, can I talk to you about something."

"What is it Bryce?" Jill was afraid this was going to be another one of those "we shouldn't be together" speeches. Her face must have shown her fear.

"You think I'm going to say something to hurt you don't you?" Jill looked sheepishly at her partner and nodded shyly. "I'm not Jill. At least I'm going to try not to." Jill pleaded with her eyes for him to continue. When he didn't right away, she felt the need to break the silence.

"Don't try Bryce. Just don't do it." Her tone wasn't harsh. That said even her soft voice didn't hide the fact that she'd issued a demand and not a request.

"Jill…I'm sorry…" Jill could already feel her heart beginning to sink again. She knew how this story ended. But then Bryce continued. "I'm sorry for how I've treated you. Especially after the fight we had. I…I kind of suck at relationships." He half smiled up at the brunette woman.

"Who doesn't?" she asked. Jill now sported a grin of her own. "You don't have to say anything else Bryce. You don't have to apologize. You came back. And I love you."

"I love you too Jill."

"Alright, so now you need to hurry up and get all healed up because I want to thank you for coming back to me properly." She clutched Bryce's hand in her own.

"Why wait? It will hurt, but hell, give me a stick or something to bite down on and let's have at it. No sense wasting this private room." Jill playfully slapped his arm and chuckled at her partner. _My boyfriend,_ she corrected herself. Leaning down, she gave him a soft but sweet kiss.

"Goodnight Bryce."

"Goodnight Jill."

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**Sarah and Chuck's Hotel Room  
Moab, UT  
Monday November 30, 2009  
11:21 PM MST**

When Sarah stepped into the bedroom from the shower, Chuck was already lying in bed. She couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. She stepped lightly so not to wake him if he was asleep. Rest was a big part of getting over the injuries he still suffered with.

Chuck heard Sarah enter the room. He then noticed she was trying to walk lightly. _Well, that part worked. She really thinks I'm asleep. Okay, she's coming towards the bed. Here goes nothing._

Sarah very carefully pulled back the covers on the bed hoping she didn't disturb Chuck. All of that went out the window however when she discovered that under the covers on her side of the bed was a small box. The box was opened, and inside the box was…Sarah gasped. _Oh my God! _

When she looked up, Chuck had turned to face her. He'd pulled himself to one knee, which with his current physical condition was a monumental task. With the bed beneath him, Chuck was still eye to eye with the blonde on one knee, so he hunched over to make sure he was looking up at her.

"Sarah," he began. "I don't have to give you a history lesson on how much my life sucked before you. You know the path I was traveling down. When I was just an asset, and you my handler, you told me that it was your job to protect me. You were great at your job. You protected me from harm; you protected me from a bunker; you protected me from my self doubt. But what you did more than anything else Sarah Walker is you protected me from self destruction. I owe you more than I could ever repay."

Tears were now running freely down Sarah's face. Chuck had picked up the ring and was holding it in one hand. His other hand was held tightly by both of Sarah's hands.

"Sarah…I know you've lived an exciting life. I can't offer you that excitement."

_I don't want that Chuck! I just want you. _

"What I can offer you is that I will love you for every minute of every day for the rest of my life."

_That is all I want Chuck. I'll love you too. Now ask already you big nerd!_

"So I'm going to stop rambling on now."

_Good, because I can't hold it together much longer._

"Sarah Walker…I guess I'm trying to say…will you marry me?" And in that moment, seconds seemed to drag on for decades. He thought she'd say yes, but there was that tiny insecure part of him that was scared she wouldn't. _God, she is taking forever._

In reality, she only took 1.3 seconds to pull her emotions in enough to muster a muffled but enthusiastic "Yes!"

Chuck removed the ring from its box and slid it onto Sarah's left hand. With the symbol now firmly in place, the blonde attacked her new fiancé's lips with her own. Neither of them had ever been happier. That night, Sarah and Chuck made love for the first time as a betrothed couple. Then a second time, followed by a third, and finally a fourth before they both succumbed to the exhaustion from their exertion.

They fell into a deep sleep. Wrapped around each other like a second skin, wearing nothing but smiles, Chuck and Sarah had neither ever been so contented.

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**Ellie and Awesome's House  
Irvine, CA  
Tuesday November 31, 2009  
7:05 PM PST**

Chuck and Sarah had flown back to California that afternoon to have dinner with Ellie and Devon. They'd yet to break the news to them about the engagement. In actuality, they were holding onto that little bit of information hoping it would serve as a get out of jail free card for not telling Ellie what was going on with Chuck's condition until days after he'd been released from the hospital.

"If I'm going to be the doctor for you 'team' then I have to know what's going on with your team!" she'd admonished Chuck. Sarah had done no better when she'd tried to calm down a hopping mad and overprotective Ellie.

So here they stood outside the house of Chuck's sister and her husband fully prepared to take the wrath of the mama bear Ellie Bartowski-Woodcomb. Chuck stood to Sarah's left so he could cover her ring bearing hand with his own. Looking into one another's eyes, they prepared themselves for whatever might await them inside as they had many times before. Finally after several moments of silence, Sarah finally reached out and rang the doorbell.

Eventually Ellie answered the door. "Oh, hello strangers." Her tone was flippant and emotionless. She turned to walk away leaving the door open for the couple to let themselves in.

Forgetting why he was guarding his fiancé's hand, Chuck quickly reached out to grab his sister. Pulling her back to face him, the human Intersect pulled the lady doctor into a big hug. Before Sarah could pull her hand away however, Ellie caught sight of a gleam on the spy's ring finger. She immediately pushed her brother out of the way and moved to face the blonde.

"Sarah?" She turned to the nerd. "Chuck?"

"Yes Ellie," they said almost in unison.

Ellie squealed in delight as she grabbed the hands of the other woman and began jumping up and down excitedly. Suddenly however a thought occurred to the doctor. Her face turned serious and her exuberant jumping ceased.

"Can you people get married? Wait-I'm sorry, I don't mean _you people_, I just mean you know-"

Sarah let out a small giggle at Ellie's awkwardness. "I'm sorry Ellie, you're right. Spies can't get married." Ellie's face fell to a devastated frown. Before she could say anything, however, Sarah continued. "That's why we decided to quit."

"Quit?" The shock in Ellie's voice was evident. "You're going to quit? So, you'll both be…normal?"

"I don't think we'll ever be normal sis." Chuck laughed even as he spoke the words. He looked to his fiancé and reclaimed her hand before speaking again. "But that's okay. Everything is going to be perfect."

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**Allen Memorial Hospital  
Moab, Utah  
Wednesday December 1, 2009  
9:37 AM MST**

"I need a crash cart in here!" Medical staff scrambled to the scene of the emergency.

"This guys coding." The patient's heart rate had plummeted suddenly. His girlfriend watched in shocked horror as the doctor's furiously tried to revive the dark haired man.

Their efforts all seemed to be in vein however. Even after several hits with the defibrillator the patient slipped from this mortal coil.

"Alright, we did everything we could here people. Calling the time of death," the senior doctor paused as he glanced at his watch. "Uh, call it 9:40 AM."

The sheet was pulled over the man's young, attractive face and the assorted doctors and nurses grimly left the room. In there stead they only left the brunette woman to grieve her loss.

"Oh my god," Jill whispered sadly.

"What?" Bryce said looking up from his wheelchair.

"Bryce…when you were in surgery…and when you were in and out of consciousness for the last week…I was…I thought that would be me over there mourning your loss."

Bryce sensed the dread emanating from Jill. "Hey," he began. "Look at me." The doctor of bio-chemistry acceded to his wishes but her eyes still brimmed with tears at the thought of having almost lost him. "That was never a possibility." She looked at him questioningly but didn't interrupt. "I couldn't leave you here without making everything alright. You don't have to worry about me leaving you Jill." His smile was further reassurance that he wouldn't leave Jill's side.

She looked down to Bryce and answered his smile with one of her own. "You ready to get out of here?"

"Yeah, let's go see the soon to be newlyweds."

"So sure are you she said yes?" Jill's spoke with a teasing tone. She knew Sarah would say yes. Even though most people couldn't tell, Jill knew that the blonde was somehow even more in love with Chuck than he was with her. _And that's an almost sickening amount of love, _Jill thought. _Of course I suppose I can't really talk. _She smiled down to her partner turned lover turned…_well, we'll see where this goes._

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**Castle Base, Below the Orange Orange  
Burbank California  
Wednesday December 1, 2009  
7:24 PM PST**

Casey had to admit to himself that he'd had a lot of fun over the last couple of weeks. Working with Anna had been a breath of fresh air. She was a capable agent, despite being green, and she was reliable as a partner. And oddly enough she'd seemed to understand the gruff veteran NSA agent. He could stand continuing to work with his former Buy More colleague. Working with her reminded him a lot of working with Walker over the past two years and change. _Except I don't have to pry Anna off an asset every two minutes. _Casey laughed inwardly at his mental quip. _I'll have to remember to write that one down._

Anna had really appreciated her experience back home. They told you in training that agents really didn't have a home. They were dead wrong. For at least the two plus weeks she'd been back in Burbank, Anna Wu knew she had a home. She'd even had a good partner during her stint. While she would have loved to have known what exactly the point of this operation was, she was content to know that they'd accomplished something important. On top of everything else, Anna knew she would take away from this assignment a wealth of knowledge she'd gleaned from her more experienced temporary partner. _I wouldn't mind working with John again, _she admitted.

Bryce and Jill emerged from the back of the base from a spirited workout. At least Casey was going to pretend that it was a workout that had made them work up the sweat that was still evident on their faces. Then it dawned on the Major that in Bryce's condition, he was in no shape to be working out. That fact made him admit to himself what he was really seeing the after affects of. _Stop it John!_ _Don't need to have an aneurysm now that Operation Moron is finally over for good. _Casey was quite positive his two long time teammates were on their way out the door after this last mission. Although he'd never tell anyone, he was really happy that two people who'd sacrificed so much for the greater good would finally get to enjoy the world they'd help make a better place.

Finally with only two minutes until the scheduled briefing, Chuck and Sarah found their way down the stairs to Castle. Both carried a single sheet of paper in their hands.

"What you got there?" Casey asked them knowingly.

"Letters of resignation," answered Sarah. The smile on her pace refulgent.

"Hold on to those for the time being agents." _Dammit! General Beckman…always the buzz kill._

"I'm sorry General?" Sarah wasn't letting this go _that_ easily. She'd more than served her time. Didn't Sarah Walker get to experience some of the good life? Why would Beckman try to stop that even before it started? _Calm down Sarah. Hear the woman out. _

"Agent Walker, am I to understand that you wish to leave the Intelligence Community in order to pursue a marriage with Agent Bartowski?" The old military woman already knew the answer to the question before she'd asked it.

"That is correct General. Chuck and I are engaged. We wish to resign so that we can…"

"Don't worry Sarah." The General almost never called her by her first name. Maybe this was good news. _Or maybe it's really bad news and she's trying to soften the blow by being personable. _The blonde agent tried to shake that thought.

"I understand your desire to have a more normal life. I appreciate your…both of your contributions to national security. The wealth of knowledge you both possess is still however a valuable commodity. It's a commodity the United States Government is willing to pay you quite well for."

Sarah had her rejection all queued up and ready for delivery when her fiancé spoke in front of her. "How well General?" Sarah shot Chuck a warning look that seemed to say 'don't you even think about it buster!'

"Of course I can't talk numbers without an official offer…but suffice to say you would never want for anything agents."

"What is the nature of this work General?" Sarah couldn't believe her ears. Chuck was actually considering staying in this business? Fulcrum was gone!

"Well, as you may know, Fulcrum is not the end of the line in this game. There is a much larger collection of rogue agencies similar to Fulcrum that is now the target. If things were difficult before, they will only get more so now. That is why I would like to keep the Human Intersect project alive."

Five sets of eyes flew to the one agent in the room that didn't, and wasn't supposed to know about Chuck's secret. "Umm, General?" Chuck said through clenched teeth.

"Don't worry Agent Bartowski, that was not an unintentional slip on my part. I wish to keep the current team together. Agent Wu will be assigned to the project full time and paired with Colonel Casey. The two have proven to be an affective team. Of course, Agent Larkin and Agent Roberts…your accomplishments together are certainly of note. I wouldn't dream of splitting you up."

Casey broke up the General's diatribe. "Excuse me ma'am…Colonel?"

"That's right. You've earned it." The newly minted Colonel gave a genuinely appreciative smile and nod to his superior. Today was a proud day.

"Thank you ma'am."

Beckman glanced over to the spot where Chuck and Sarah stood. "And finally Agent Walker and Agent Bartowski…the position I am offering you two is a consultation and analysis position…on paper. In actuality, direct control of Operation Bartowski will be turned over to you two. It will require no field work, and you'll be able to choose whatever missions you feel your team can handle. Most of all, you will be free to wed…start a family…take vacations. You can do as you like. Your country still needs you two and it is willing to negotiate."

"I don't think that's a good idea." "We'll do it General!" Chuck and Sarah spoke simultaneously. For the first time in what seemed like forever, their thoughts were not on the same wavelength.

"Umm…General Beckman, may I speak to Sarah momentarily?"

"Of course Agent Bartowski. I will continue briefing the others on their next assignments." After permission was granted, Chuck grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her over to a quite corner.

"Sarah, this is great! You would be terrific in that role. And I'd be your yes man. Imagine it!" Chuck could barely contain his glee at the prospect of the new position. It wasn't so much that _he_ wanted the job, but he knew it was a big deal for his fiancé to be offered the opportunity to run such an important op. Seeing the woman he loved more than anything in the world become so successful wasn't something he wanted to miss out on.

"But Chuck…we would still have to lie about who we really are to people. We'd still never have a normal life. I want to give you a normal life Chuck. It's what you've always wanted." Sarah pleaded with the nerd to understand.

"Sarah, this is a great opportunity for you. I would never forgive myself if you didn't take it. And plus…we will still get to see our friends. They are the closest friends we have Sarah, besides Ellie and Awesome of course…but even they are in on the secret." Sarah still had a doubtful look on her face. Chuck decided he needed to allay the woman's other worries. "Besides…what did I tell Ellie last night? You an me? Us? We'll never be normal Sarah. What we have is far too great to be considered normal."

Finally Sarah smiled at him. "I love you Mr. Bartowski."

"And I love you _future _Mrs. Bartowski." It was the first time she'd been called that…well except a few dreams she had. _You know what? I kind of like being called that. Strike that, I really like being called that._

Chuck looked down into the sparkling blue eyes of his betrothed searching for an answer to the question of the hour. She simply nodded. The smile on her face had not disappeared.

"We'll do it," they spoke in unison to General Beckman.

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**Waikiki Beach  
Honolulu, Hawaii  
Friday May 28, 2010  
6:29 PM HST**

Chuck and his groomsmen began to make their way towards the front of the small group of family and friends that had been flown out for the wedding. Chuck heaved a deep sigh as he stepped out onto the sand. Suddenly he felt someone grab his shoulder. Instinctively, Chuck jerked away and prepared to defend himself. But it was just…

"Bryce? I didn't think you guys were going to make it!"

"Yeah, we had to push hard, but I wouldn't miss today. Two of my favorite people in the world agreeing to only have sex with each other forever and ever." Bryce gave Chuck a devilish grin.

"So Jill give you a lot of shit about being late?" Chuck couldn't really argue Bryce's point. In fact it had been the theme of his bachelor party. And to be honest, Chuck couldn't be happier about his situation.

"Yeah…women tend to get kind of pissy about these things huh?"

"Yeah Bryce, they do." Chuck reached out to clap his former roommate on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're here buddy."

"Me too Chuck. Now let's go get you married."

_Fin_

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**_**A/N: **__Thanks again to everyone who stuck with me throughout. Please review and let me know what you think. One more thanks to __**Notorious JMG **__for the beta. Oh, and stay tuned for the sequel to __**Bryce and Jill vs. Chuck and Sarah **__coming up in probably June. You guys are awesome. Peace._


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